Disqus
Not only is the Mubarak regime in Egypt willing to cut off the cellular connectivity to the populace of Egypt to stem the organization of protests and complaints to the outside world, they’re also totally cool using the same infrastructure to launch their own political counter-offensive. Vodafone has confirmed that the government has been using a emergency SMS channels to send out messages like “Egypt’s youth. Beware rumors and listen to the voice of reason. Egypt is above all so preserve it.” and “To each mother-father-sister-brother, to every honest citizen. Preserve this country because the homeland stays forever.” The content of these messages is entirely out of the carriers’ control, and the channel is applicable across Etisalat and Mobinil service providers in the area as well.
Obviously, Vodafone’s not too happy about the situation:
“Vodafone Group has protested to the authorities that the current situation regarding these messages is unacceptable. We have made clear that all messages should be transparent and clearly attributable to the originator.”
At least the cell networks are mostly back up again, though text messaging is still disabled. Mubarak has said that he won’t run for another term of presidency, but considering how many Egyptians just want the guy dead, I have a feeling he’ll be out of there before September rolls around.
[via Danger Room]
About The Author
Simon Sage
Simon Sage’s education largely surrounded writing, technology and online community, leading him to begin his blogging career at www.BlackBerryCool.com and to quickly discover a vibrant and active community surrounding BlackBerry and mobile technology. In exploring RIM’s platform, he has learned what enterprises are looking for in mobility as well as what makes the innocuous BlackBerry so appealing to them. Recently Simon’s been covering RIM’s gradual move into an already-crowded consumer market, and the impact of burgeoning challengers, such as the iPhone, as well as long-time leaders, like Nokia, on BlackBerry’s advancement. With plenty of content under his belt, Simon will be branching off a bit to see what other smartphone manufacturers are working on while still using BlackBerry as a barometer. At IntoMobile, you can count on his posts being even-handed, well-informed and thought-out.
