Egypt blocks 11 social media accounts for 'abusive content'

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The Egyptian Public Prosecution's office for Economic and Money Laundering Affairs has decided to block the accounts of 11 individuals on six social media platforms within the country, after accusing them of publishing "abusive content" against state institutions and broadcasting inciting speeches and false information that "cause strife and hatred among the people," according to an official statement issued by the prosecution.

The list of accounts included in the blocking decision includes Israeli journalist Eidi Cohen, along with a number of Egyptian dissidents residing outside the country.

The prosecution stated that the decision was based on investigations by executive agencies, which monitored the use of these accounts in "publishing abusive content against Egyptian state institutions, broadcasting inciting speeches, and disseminating false information," considering that this "exceeds the limits of opinion and expression permitted by these platforms and constitutes criminal offenses."

The decision includes blocking or suspending accounts on the platforms "Facebook," "YouTube," "Instagram," "X," "TikTok," and "Telegram," with a ban on accessing them within Egypt or suspending them in coordination with the relevant authorities.

The prosecution also requested the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority to contact the companies responsible for managing these platforms to implement the blocking decision.

Who are they?

The list included actor Amr Waked, who resides outside Egypt and faces default judgments in cases related to publishing false news and insulting state institutions, as well as Yehia Moussa, residing in Turkey, who is on Egypt's terror lists and has been sentenced to death in cases related to violence.

The decision also included a number of media professionals and political content creators, including program presenter Mohamed Nasser, journalist Osama Gawish, and content creator Abdullah Al-Sharif, all of whom have had judgments issued against them or have been listed in judicial lists related to publishing false news or joining banned groups. Journalist Sami Kamal El-Din, previously on terror lists, human rights activist Haitham Abu Khalil, and content creator Khaled Al-Seirty were also included.

The list also included Sherif Osman, an opposition political content creator residing in the United States, a former officer in the Egyptian Armed Forces, who was arrested in the UAE in 2022 based on a red notice issued by Interpol before being released later, along with Hisham Sabry, a security researcher and opposition content creator residing in the United States who previously worked in the Egyptian Ministry of Interior.

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The decision also included the name of Eidi Cohen, an Israeli media personality known for his frequent appearances in the media and social media platforms, where he offers comments and positions on Arab and regional affairs.

Reactions

A number of Egyptian media professionals abroad, who are subject to the blocking decision, criticized the step, considering it a restriction on freedom of opinion.

Egyptian opposition actor and resident abroad, Amr Waked, tweeted on his "X" account, saying that "these dilapidated Arab regimes are openly and shamelessly declaring themselves adversaries of argument, and can no longer tolerate confronting the word."

Egyptian opposition rights activist Haitham Abu Khalil mocked the decision, tweeting on the same platform: "Imagine when a regime bans your account... but doesn't ban pornographic sites!!! Can you imagine?"

Opposition media personality Osama Gawish said in a video clip posted on his "Facebook" account that the Egyptian authorities are following the UAE's footsteps in dealing with opposition voices' accounts on social platforms, adding: "After the UAE... the Egyptian regime is imitating and blocking all my personal accounts on X, Meta, and YouTube within Egypt by a decision from the Egyptian Public Prosecution."

Gawish indicated that such measures might lead to an increase in his followers, not a decrease, adding: "I challenge you to prove the accusations you are making."

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In contrast, Egyptian media professionals and parliamentarians supported the prosecution's decision. Media personality Ahmed Moussa, presenter of the "On My Responsibility" program, described it as a strong blow dealt by the Public Prosecution to what he called the "mouthpieces of terrorism."

He said in a tweet on the "X" platform that those included in the decision "spread rumors and false information about the economic and political conditions in Egypt to cause confusion and mislead public opinion, and used social media to broadcast inciting messages."

Member of Parliament and media personality Mostafa Bakry also accused those included in the decision of being "traitors and murderers," adding, in the introduction to his program on an Egyptian satellite channel, that they "are being used as tools in the hands of intelligence agencies."

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Blocking mechanisms

This is not the first time an official Egyptian body has issued a decision to block accounts on social media sites.

Just a few days ago, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation issued a decision to contact the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority to block the accounts of a content creator named "Karawan Mashakel" on social media, "due to the content that offends public morals, violates the sanctity of private life, and transgresses the principles and family values of Egyptian society," according to the council's statement at the time.

But how is the blocking mechanism carried out?

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IT expert Mohamed Fathy says that the process of blocking or restricting personal accounts can take several forms, including the social media platform owners punishing the account owner in case of violating their standards.

He added that this is subject to the nature of the violation and the penalty, which may reach the permanent deletion of the account and not allowing it to be created again with the same name or email.

Regarding the role of countries, Fathy explained that there are protocols that regulate the relationship between governments and platform operating companies regarding dealing with violating or controversial accounts, in accordance with the agreed-upon rules between the two parties.

He added that "among the blocking criteria is that there must be a court ruling from the concerned country against specific account owners on this or that platform, indicating a violation of the agreed-upon rules or the standards in place."

He also pointed out that countries can technically restrict access to specific accounts within a certain geographical area using modern technologies that "restrict users in a specific geographical area from accessing personal accounts or targeted pages."

He added that "in the past, it was difficult, but with technological development, some local agencies can now restrict access, not delete or block the account, within the geographical area under their control."

In contrast, Fathy pointed out that there are counter-technical means that allow users to access blocked accounts, such as "VPN" and "proxies" technologies, emphasizing that "accounts remain active outside the restricted geographical area."

Legal frameworks

Egypt has witnessed an intensification of laws related to combating what it describes as threats to national security in recent years, especially in light of armed attacks in Sinai and other areas, as well as the conflict with the Muslim Brotherhood, classified as a terrorist organization in Egypt for more than 12 years.

The prosecution's decision was based on Article 7 of the Law on Combating Information Technology Crimes issued in 2018, which gives investigative bodies the right to order the blocking of websites if they deem them to pose a threat to national security or endanger the country's security or its national economy.

The decision to block accounts comes within a broader context related to the state of freedom of opinion and expression and digital rights in Egypt in recent years. Human rights organizations say that the authorities have expanded the use of laws combating information technology crimes and combating terrorism to pursue content published online, whether political, social, or entertainment. Hundreds of news and human rights websites have also been blocked in the country since 2017, in addition to judicial pursuits targeting journalists and content creators on social media platforms.