Egypt's judiciary lends support to state’s social media snooping
An Egyptian judicial body has endorsed controversial plans by the Interior Ministry to monitor social media activity, arguing that it is necessary to take all measures to protect the community and the public interest
On Sept. 25, a judicial report was issued by the State Commissioners Authority, the advisory body for the State Council, supporting the Ministry of Interior’s decision to monitor social networking sites, follow up on activity on these sites and take all security measures necessary to address any threats to public security to ensure the best interest of the country.
This report stirred the ire of numerous activists and human rights defenders, who saw it as a new tool to intimidate, stifle voices and suppress the freedoms of social media users, especially since social networking sites played a key role in mobilizing young people, fostering protest movements and highlighting the shortcomings of President Hosni Mubarak's regime before the outbreak of the January 25 Revolution in 2011.
All this began when the Ministry of Interior announced on May 11, 2014, the launch of new software that monitors internet activities, called the “Social Networks Security Hazard Monitoring Operation (public opinion measurement system),” aimed at developing the technical aspect of the security system at the ministry to counter terrorism, which poses a threat to the country's security.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim, the interior minister at the time, said that the new software will not restrict freedoms in any way and will not breach Egypt’s Constitution and the law. He explained that it is rather intended to monitor security hazards by tracking new security issues that spread on social networking sites, especially in terms of terrorism.
