Internet back online in Syria; violent protest videos surface
Internet access is back online in Syria after two-thirds of networks in the country became unreachable from the rest of the world in the midst of street protests.
- Finalist for the Nesta Tipping Point prize and a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Internet access came back online in Syria on Saturday after two-thirds of networks in the country became unreachable from the rest of the world in the midst of street protests on Friday. As the strife-ridden country once again became visible to the online world, videos of snipers apparently firing on peaceful demonstrators began to surface, like the unsettling clip below, which turns violent about 20 seconds in.
According to Renesys, which monitors Internet connectivity, the country's 3G data network and other ISPs disappeared from the global network grid Friday morning, but domains linked to the Syrian government remained online. The networks slowly came back online by Saturday morning local time.
The Internet blackout failed to completely shut-off the country from the outside world, as some protesters managed to upload videos taken of the demonstrations using satellite phones.
It's been reported that more than 50 people died in Friday's crackdown on the protests and an additional three people were shot at memorial services held Saturday.