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Caught in the Net: Syria
Foreign Policy
Syria has ordered Internet cafe users to hand over their identity in exchange for access. State security officials recently told Internet cafe owners to record the names and national
identification card numbers of their customers, also noting the times they come and go. The records will be collected and reviewed by security officials. The government did not comment on the decision, but in the past it has
insisted such steps are necessary to prevent “penetration by Israel.” Maybe. But given the increasing number of bloggers criticizing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government, a more plausible explanation may be a desire to
quiet the dissidents in the cafes.
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