Facebook in Syria
By Curt on Nov 18, 2007 in Syria, Facebook
Update: More confirmation, from a Syrian newspaper. (Thanks, Ammar.)
(OK. That turned into gibberish. What’s a guy gotta do to post in Arabic around here?)
Update: Verified, see comments. Thanks Hazem and Kevin.
We received an anonymous tip regarding Facebook in Syria.
i just wanted to tell you that facebook.com has been banned in syria as well a
few hours ago, i wish you can investigate/post/publish something about it
please.
If anyone can verify, or debunk this, please do.
Kevin | Nov 18, 2007 | Reply
Hi, this is the guy that sent you the tip. im a Syrian-American citizen and ive been in syria for almost 3 years now and ofcourse back in california i was studying IT. when youtube was banned a few months ago a few bunch of people got pissed and those were high-speed internet owners, becuase 75% of the population uses dialup and youtube videos are impossible to load over that kind of connection (erm AOL back in the 90’s…)
But meanwhile facebook gained the hugest popularity in Syria tons more than www.hi5.com social network. i between 100’s of thousands of people got addicted to facebook and became a lifestyle (not in a freaky way, were not that obsessd) but unfortunatly some syrians took advantage of the democracy and open discussions and started to form groups against… i dont know what i dont know who…. anyway sunday evening (GMT+3) in syria i wake up in the morning and check my facebook. then afterward in the aftenoon i took my laptop to a cafe shop so i can have my coffee and cigarette and browse the net on their wireless network… only to find that the infamous message saying “You are not authorized to view this page” appears……
im glad MSN messenger is still allowed.
if anyone got more info please share with us. unless no other syrian citizen actually found this website.
sigh…..
Kevin | Nov 18, 2007 | Reply
please excuse the typos and grammer, wish someone can edit it.
Hazem Alghabra | Nov 18, 2007 | Reply
This tip was confirmed by several contacts in Syria. Facebook was officially blocked by the Syrian government’s Ministry of Telecommunications.
Hundreds of sites are blocked in Syria (several are very popular sites like youtube and blogspot). The Ministry of Information never offers any official explanation for the reasons behind site-blocking, but the tendency is to block any site that publishes articles, media, or discussion that is considered anti-regime. However, Internet users in Syria often use proxy-bypassing software and portals to access blocked sites.
Governments in several countries in the Middle East -especially the gulf region- often block sites for political and religious reasons.
Kevin | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
Thank you for the confirmation.
For your information, even proxy-bypassing software and anonymous web-browing website are figured out by the Ministry IT and have blocked the ports they use.
im absolutly speechless.
Marco | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
Hi guys…
I would like to know what we could do about this…what can be good arguments to reinstate the website again?
Please let me know! I might be able to push it the other way!
Cheers!
RAMRAM | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
OH MY GOD!!!! I’m speechless too! I’m Syrian who is very surprised of that banning! That’s sucks!!
Why? I think internet becaming useless in Syria. I really want to say something but I think there’s no words can describe how i feel!!
Please we want facebook back, we want all the other websites!
Kevin | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
Marco,
a good argument is finding out the core reason of the banning. it might just following the footsteps or the Iran regime, or like youtube because someone posted a video of the first lady doin it marlyn monroe style.
find out what it is, and if it was for the political anti-groups, we will try out best to remove them and start fresh.
after facebook was blocked my internet usage dropped bt 50% and i think i speak for everyone else who used to be a facebook regular. when are going to abolish censorship, internet in syria is becoming more useless everyday. The last law they manufactured that we cannot voice chat on any type of voice chatting software over the internet because it is considered (loophole to avoid paying regular telecom fee’s for overseas calls) and they threatned that anyone using voice comm. over the internet will be fined by a formula that they created out of their asses, which says ( number of minutes x charge per minute to calling destination thru the syrian telecome divided by i dont know what ) which is the most redicioules thing i have ever heard, they even made up a formula of how to fine violating people. good thing their using their addition devision and multiplication. i think it was wrong in the first place to implement the internet in syria.
Hazem Alghabra | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
Kevin,
As long as the Syrian government is operating under emergency law, there is nothing to be done.
The only realistic solution would be supporting the creation of better proxy bypassing software and methods.
Kevin | Nov 19, 2007 | Reply
i would love to be enlightned, but i would not want to be jailed over by-passing the proxy that they set just because of facebook………..
Kinan | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
well well well, It was a shock, it struck me as odd, eventhough it was too obvious that it’s gon’ be banned sooner or later .. just like youtube fo’ instance ..i mean hey.. this’s Syria we’re talkin about
i think facebook in Syria’s been used by Syrian youth to represent themselves in a way or another ..
believe it or not .. some girls cried in my Uni. after findin’ out about the whole ban thingy..
im an ADSL user in Syria.. and facebook is working just fine ..
i’m pretty sure many bypassing methods are gonna spread here in Syria ..
if anyone knows any method .. please feel free to share it with us ..
i wonder when they gonn’ ban “google”
thank u
Curt | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
Can anyone recommend a proxy in Syria that is unblocked? Also, check out Peacefire and Tor in the blogroll.
Nour | Nov 20, 2007 | Reply
Hello,
Still cant beleive how this happend ..and treating us with no respect,
there r some bypassing proxies but they r so slow in here
or try www.gotofacebook.co.za
i remember like about 5 years ago they blocked the hotmail ..but then unblocked it
hope they wont block google in future! we might not need it any more anyway!!
dr_00_ogle | Nov 24, 2007 | Reply
Shoot all u.s. cops in their fucking mouths.
I’ve been ripped out of my former life now for 4 years by the shitmouth-merican “authorities”…for exact protected speech.
Also set to reviling enslavements at a 133MHZ judas-asshole-icial “legal arguer” box under
u.s. Satan and his judge-Murphy’s ‘laws’-earless system. It’s exactly the same as
bombed back to the caves.
Worse than being sold as a sex slave; at least there you feel anything.
This actually is happening in shit-merica via their “authorities.”
Never be fooled; shit-merica is the scum of scums-liars; self-aggrandizing larcenists
be their pigs, cops, “authorities,” perennial as the seasons have they directly
thieved in one’s living room and
temple. They’re Satan; parasites, larcenists. They’re shitmouth, shit-merican.
Never be fooled by the shit-merican propaganda.
The sly shit-merican “authorities” have always done A LOT MORE THAN
JAM SOME FACEBOOK. They have robbed one’s living room, temple, life and
soul DIRECTLY, rather, for decades. This is the shit-merican FACT for which
they are seen begging for more Cole bombings, all their fed. bldgs. nuked, more Pentagoon
plane smashes–till they’re put down for good.
Timeless are their lies–they will be put down for good.
Curt | Nov 24, 2007 | Reply
Wow. That is the greatest comment I’ve ever gotten. I… Words fail me. I’m forced to quote Olson Johnson.
“Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, but it expressed a courage that is little seen in this day and age.”
Or maybe The Waco Kid himself…
“You’ve got to remember that these are just simple farmers. These are people of the land. The common clay of the new West. You know… morons.”
Forecast Highs | Nov 26, 2007 | Reply
http://forecasthighs.wordpress.com/2007/11/25/syrias-relationship-status-complicated/
Kevin | Nov 27, 2007 | Reply
recent update, Comm. Ministry IT dept. is (and already did) banning bypassing proxy websites specially for facebook, and the first of them was www.facebookoxy.com …. and more to come.
Tony | Dec 10, 2007 | Reply
Hey Kevin i’m a Syrian citizen who lives in Syria when they first banned facebook i was shocked because there’s nothing wrong about it so please if u have a website to unblock it besides facebookoxy please post it and thx ’cause u care
aline | Dec 18, 2007 | Reply
please i want to know why do you bloked the web www.p-r-o-x-y.com to facebook.
please advise me another web site can enter through it to facebook.
Big moe | Jul 28, 2008 | Reply
WOW!!! unfortunately i have no answer to ur prob. but im an american - syrian citizen and i am embarrassed that my nation would stoop so low they would block a simple website. iv spent many years boasting about how syria isn’t like the stereotyped nations of the middle east. but i guess im wrong. my next visit wil not be the same.