[liberationtech] SECDEV FLASHNOTE: Syrian Regime Tightens Access to Secure Online Communications

[Rafal Rohozinski]

The latest Flash Note from SecDev on the Syrian regime tightening access to secure online communications.
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Syrian Regime Tightens Access to Secure Online Communications
SecDev Flash Note
23 April 2013

The Syrian regime continues to block popular internet-based secure communication tools, forcing secure communication providers to change their tactics and adopt sophisticated methods to avoid detection and blocking. The regime is also censoring websites that provide access to these technologies.
However, despite the increasing difficulty of accessing secure communications, demand for these tools and services is increasing. Syrian awareness of the dangers of unsecured communication has likely been fuelled by reports of activists being arrested and of the regime’s sophisticated capabilities for censorship and cyber warfare.

The Syrian civil war reveals the importance of the internet to all parties in the conflict. The fact the regime has chosen to throttle rather than shut off access to the internet suggests that it is sensitive to the impact closure would have for a country where some 5 million Syrians are online. Shutting down the Internet would also diminish the state's capacity for on-line surveillance. This suggests that providing Syrians access to robust and resilient secure communication technologies is important to preserving the connections between people and communities that will be vital to Syria’s future once the fighting ends. 

Please see the linked Flash Note for further information.

SecDev Flash Notes are produced by the Syria Operations Group as part of an ongoing activity to support the safety and security of the Syrian people and to enhance the free flow of information in Syria. This activity is managed by The SecDev Foundation, a Canadian not-for-profit organization, with funding from granting bodies in North America.


To access our work on Syria, please visit the following links:

For a collection of previous Flash Notes and Briefings, please visit our website's publications page.
Syria Digital Security Monitor - this interactive mapping geographically and temporally maps digital security and infrastructure reports using various technical and non-technical means.
Syria Digital Security Project - this provides information and communication security resources, tools and services to communities and individuals in Syria.
Our Syria Facebook page provides reporting on digital security events in Syria.
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