Searches are beginning to flow out of Egypt once again after the government today restored at least part of the internet connectivity they had stopped when protests broke out in the country last week.
While some reports say the internet has been “turned back on” there are other reports that major social networking services, including Facebook and Twitter are still being restricted.
The move to suppress Facebook and Twitter amidst rioting shouldn’t come as a surprise as those networks had been used to fuel large protest meetups and to fuel anti-government sentiments.
Egyptian authorities spoke with The Wall Street Journal telling their citizens:
“You have the power to bring stability back to the country. We are urging you as respectful citizens to go back home.”
While internet access and the ability to send SMS and MMS messages was blocked to help stop protests, many users found ways around social networking shutdowns, allowing them to access the web and arrange larger, more organized protests.
If you hear about Facebook and Twitter access finally being restored in the country, drop us a line in our comments section.