Cairo tightens Internet control

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has signed a new law tightening the government's control of the Internet. Aimed at combating extremism, the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes legislation prohibits the ‘promotion of the ideas of terrorist organisations’ and allows authorities to block websites deemed by judges to be threats to national security. CNN reports that it also bans the dissemination of information on the movement of security forces and imposes strict punishments for hacking government information systems. The legislation was originally approved by the Egyptian parliament in May. Sisi's government has been criticised for blocking critical voices in the media and scrubbing digital content. Nearly 500 websites have already been blocked in Egypt since May 2017, according to the Cairo-based Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression.