Iraq: the face of popular protest, the power in place blocks Internet

In Iraq, connecting to the Web may become complicated. In response to ongoing anti-government protests, local authorities have blocked the Internet in most parts of the country.

While the Iraqi youth hardens the tone against a government it wants to see dismissed, authorities respond by cutting the Internet in most of the country, especially in its main urban centers, said Monday evening NetBlocks (NGO monitoring at globally the internet blockages).

Smother the protest movement by closing the door on the outside world

"  At the time of writing, national connectivity has fallen to less than 19 percent of normal thresholds, resulting in tens of millions of offline users in the Baghdad area,  " NetBlocks said in a relayed statement. by Reuters. "  It has also affected Basra, Karbala and other urban centers. This new disruption would be the most serious ever observed in Iraq to date.

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As Reuters notes, the Iraqi authorities had, in the past, already blocked the Internet in the country in order to stem waves of protests. A technique that could, in this case, end up aggravating an already very delicate situation.

Source: Reuters