Egypt
Internet Access
Starting from late 2015, Egypt has selectively blocked political websites which contain content critical of the government. In May 2017, the Egyptian authorities began to substantially filter political content, and as of June 2017, the lists of blocked URLs has reached more than 60 and continues to grow. The government claims some of the websites are spreading false news or are allegedly affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which the government bans as a terrorist group. Egypt also blocks official Qatari media websites and news dailies over allegations that Qatar supports the Egypt-based Muslim Brotherhood and terror activities. Additionally, Egypt recently blocked a website that protests the government's transfer of two islands from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. In 2016, the Egyptian authorities attempted to block Signal, an encrypted communication application, before the tool operators managed to sidestep the blocking measures.