Egypt: Freedom on the Net

Egypt first introduced access to the internet in October 1993 through the Egyptian Universities Network and the Egyptian cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).

The public first gained access in 1996, but the technology did not really take off until 2002, when the government introduced a "Free Internet" program. Offline repression of online activists is sporadic and keyed to sensitive political events.

While the Egyptian government has aggressively and successfully sought to expand access to the internet as an engine of economic growth. Its security services and allied individuals have increasingly attempted to curtail the use of new technologies for disseminating and receiving sensitive political information.