"Cultural Film"... Controversy in Egypt after pornographic clips "hacked" a billboard

The “26th of July Corridor” is one of the most prominent and busiest traffic arteries in Greater Cairo, as it provides a vital link between central Cairo, northern Giza, 6th of October City, and its surrounding urban areas.

It is difficult for anyone residing in Cairo not to have passed through it one day because it is a pivotal path in keeping with its name. But over the past two days, the road has gained a different kind of fame, after it became the talk of the media and social media platforms, not only in Egypt, but also outside of it.

The name “July 26 Corridor” topped the trend after an exceptional incident, which was represented by the appearance of pornographic scenes on an advertising screen on this vital road in Giza Governorate, southwest of Cairo.

The incident caused widespread uproar and controversy in the largest Arab country in terms of population. Officially, the Egyptian authorities attributed the incident to an “electronic hack.”

"breakthrough"

The Egyptian Ministry of Interior said in a statement, “The screen belonging to an advertising company contracted with an international company was subjected to a cyber attack, which led to the broadcast of these unauthorized scenes.”

The statement added that the same clips were broadcast in several countries at the same time, without specifying the names of those countries.

According to local reports, the company responsible for operating the billboard announced that it had detected “an unauthorized hacking of the screen by an unknown party.” However, the company did not reveal many details about the incident, confirming that it turned off the screen immediately as a precautionary measure until investigations were completed and the necessary measures were taken.

The incident sparked a state of shock, mixed with a sense of humor on social media platforms, or what is known as “Egyptian humor.”

A number of social media users saw that the incident highlights the challenges associated with digital transformation in the advertising sector, as billboards are no longer limited to displaying images and video clips, but rather have become part of systems connected to the Internet that are managed through central electronic platforms.

Others also saw that the “July 26” incident raises questions about the security aspects associated with these systems and the possibility of influencing the content displayed remotely.

Digital billboards are based on an interconnected technical structure that allows companies to control and update the displayed content centrally, including setting the times for displaying advertising materials. These signs are widely spread in Cairo and major cities, especially on highways and bridges.