Will Egypt start charging citizens to use Facebook?
Egypt's parliament is considering a bill to control the use of social media platforms such as Facebook in the name of fighting terrorism and tracking cybercrime.
CAIRO — Egyptian parliamentarian Riyad Abdul Sattar proposed a bill on on April 18 to control usage of social media platforms like Facebook by linking account access to the user’s national ID number and charging registration fees, at least in its first draft. Parliament member Mohammad Komi went a step further on April 21, announcing he would submit another bill to establish an Egyptian version of Facebook.
The two bills aim to deter the usage of social media to criticize state figures like President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and institutions like the judiciary and military, as well as to track users who support terrorism.
