Syria Bans iPhones to Hide Protest Crackdown
If you own an iPhone and are thinking of travelling to Syria, think again. In the latest installment of the Arab Spring, Syria is banning all iPhones from the country in an attempt to hide a brutal and deadly crackdown on protesters.
Syria has barred most media sources from the country since the protests began in March, but the proliferation of cameras on phones meant that the country hasn’t been able to prevent images and videos from getting out.
This latest move comes as a means to stop the opposition from posting videos of the government’s violent reaction to the protests, which has left more than 4,000 people dead.
Last Friday, 6 protesters demanding foreign intervention were shot at a protest. Meanwhile, defectors from the military are beginning to raid active military installations, often hitting civilians in the crossfire. Just last night, 25 people were killed in a clash between army defectors and the army in the Idlib region of Syria, which up till now had been one of the safest places to be.
It appears that military despots have learned to fear modern technology. Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak famously shut down the internet in an attempt to quell unrest--a move that backfire so severely that he is now out of office. Ousted (and dead) former President Hosni Mubarak also tried the same tactic. The Iranian government has also done it during some of its protests.
Syria is apparently hoping that restricting access to iPhones will keep people from capturing its violent crackdown. It is an interesting way to try and limit bad press, but it will most likely be meaningless. It isn’t likely that protesters will obey, and pictures can be taken with other types of phones, too.
The United Nations has been slowly distancing itself from Syria. Recently the human rights wing of the body called for tougher action against the country over its crackdown on protesters.
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