Internet Traffic In Libya Goes Dark Amid Upheaval

We've been keeping an eye on the Libyan internet censorship surrounding the revolution going on there, the latest word is that now their Internet is completely shut down as of a few hours ago. They also point out that this isn't quite as significant as in Egypt, where many people have net access. In Libya just 6% of the population have any internet access at all.

Comments

Dupe, hello?

[RichM]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/03/04/1732232/Libyan-Internet-Flatlined

Egypt made it look too easy

[Anonymous Coward]

By simply rolling over, Hosni Mubaruk may have ended up costing more lives in the long run than if he had just dropped a daisy cutter on Tahrir Square.
Instead, he helped to inspire hope in the hearts of dissidents who will continue to try to follow in the footsteps of Egyptians, but will be massacred.

Re:Egypt made it look too easy

[morari]

It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

Re:Egypt made it look too easy

[pushing-robot]

Says someone who's never had to make the choice.

Really?

Not as significant?

[JimWise]

I do not think the number of people being prevented from having internet access dictates how "significant" the issue is in this case. Egypt was mostly trying to prevent people from organizing protests when they cut off internet access. Libya on the other hand is trying to keep news of the government's attacks upon their own people from getting out.

Re:Not as significant?

[paltemalte]

I agree. And I wonder what kind of information it is that Obama and his administration think it is they need to prevent the spread of by using that internet kill switch they have been talking about.

Re:Not as significant?

[xnpu]

You mean the lack of information from getting out.

So far all I've seen are edited video's where nobody dies. How come we can have journalists there who get video out but show nothing?

Re:Not as significant?

[TheRealMindChild]

perhaps because the ones who had anything worth "getting out" are arrested or dead?

Re:Not as significant?

[currently_awake]

Tools are made for a purpose. If you don't know what something does then watch what people do with it. In Egypt they used the internet kill switch to stifle dissent/protests, in Libya they use the internet kill switch to block reporting of government crimes.

Exemplary Streisand Effect

[Kyusaku Natsume]

Two days ago the documentary "Presunto Culpable" (Presumed Guilty) that deals with the incredibly corrupt and inefficient mexican judiciary was subject to an injunction by a female judge that would have stopped the screenings of the movie nation wide. Instead of the desired effect, it managed to make it the most viewed mexican documentary to date and provided additional embarrassment to the mexican justice system since that injunction was based on declarations of a man that was caught in the movie lying accusing an innocent man of murder.

Another documentary that the powers that be in Mexico want buried, Sicario (Gunman) was subject to a boycott by all movie distributors here in Mexico but, being the third largest market for piracy in the world, by word of mouth it became one of the most viewed movies in this year. Really, the use of an internet kill switch in USA to censor some information will make it the most commented story for decades in the whole world.