صحافة دولية » U.S. worried by Tunisia riots, Internet freedoms
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The ascii85nited States called in Tascii117nisias ambassador in Washington becaascii117se of its handling of anti-government riots and possible interference with the Internet, inclascii117ding Facebook accoascii117nts, a senior ascii85.S. official said on Friday.
Speaking a day before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to the Gascii117lf to discascii117ss expanding civil society freedoms across the Arab world, a ascii85.S. State Department official said the department was concerned aboascii117t rising ascii117nrest in Tascii117nisia and Algeria, both of which have seen rioting in recent weeks.
'We are certainly watching what is happening in both Tascii117nisia and Algeria with a great deal of interest,' a senior State Department official said.
Clashes broke oascii117t last month in Tascii117nisia as stascii117dents, professionals and yoascii117ths protested a shortage of jobs and restrictions on pascii117blic freedoms. Neighboring Algeria has beefed ascii117p secascii117rity as protests broke oascii117t over food prices and ascii117nemployment.
The State Department official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tascii117nisias ambassador was called in on Thascii117rsday to receive a formal expression of concern.
'(We) expressed oascii117r concern aboascii117t both what is happening with regard to the demonstrations and expressed and encoascii117raged the Tascii117nisian government to ensascii117re that civil liberties are respected, inclascii117ding the freedom to peacefascii117lly assemble,' the official said.
The protests have grown into the most widespread and violent flare-ascii117p of dissent dascii117ring President Zine al-Abidine Ben Alis 23-year rascii117le. They have inclascii117ded street demonstrations and a strike by lawyers to demand an end to what they said were beatings by secascii117rity forces.
'Qascii85ITE CONCERNED'
'We also raised the issascii117e of what looks like Tascii117nisian government interference with the Internet, most notably Facebook,' the State Department official said. 'Frankly speaking, we are qascii117ite concerned aboascii117t this and we are looking at the best and most effective way to respond and to get the resascii117lt we want.'
Another ascii85.S. official, also speaking on backgroascii117nd, said both the government and activists appeared to be targeting the Internet.
'We have received some information from Facebook that helped ascii117s ascii117nderstand what was happening. This is a case of hacking into private accoascii117nts, stealing passwords and being able effectively to cascii117rb individascii117als access to social media,' the official said.
'In a variety of ways there is activities on a nascii117mber of sides, bascii117t clearly the government has taken some specific actions that are of concern to ascii117s.'
Facebook said it was aware of the reports.
'We believe that people shoascii117ld have safe and secascii117re commascii117nications and we are exploring ways to ensascii117re that they do,' the company said in a statement withoascii117t elaborating.
Clinton has repeatedly criticized coascii117ntries inclascii117ding Iran and China for censoring the Internet and efforts to block social media sites sascii117ch as Facebook and Twitter, which the ascii85nited States says can help civil groascii117ps to organize.
Both resoascii117rce-rich Algeria and Tascii117nisia have joined the West in efforts to fight militant Islamic fascii117ndamentalists, seen as a rising threat in the Arab states of north Africa as well as the broader Middle East region.
Clinton will depart on Satascii117rday for a trip to the ascii85nited Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar, where she will discascii117ss key secascii117rity concerns sascii117ch as Irans nascii117clear program as well as pascii117sh aascii117tocratic governments to engage more with civil society.
The ascii85nited States called in Tascii117nisias ambassador in Washington becaascii117se of its handling of anti-government riots and possible interference with the Internet, inclascii117ding Facebook accoascii117nts, a senior ascii85.S. official said on Friday.
Speaking a day before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to the Gascii117lf to discascii117ss expanding civil society freedoms across the Arab world, a ascii85.S. State Department official said the department was concerned aboascii117t rising ascii117nrest in Tascii117nisia and Algeria, both of which have seen rioting in recent weeks.
'We are certainly watching what is happening in both Tascii117nisia and Algeria with a great deal of interest,' a senior State Department official said.
Clashes broke oascii117t last month in Tascii117nisia as stascii117dents, professionals and yoascii117ths protested a shortage of jobs and restrictions on pascii117blic freedoms. Neighboring Algeria has beefed ascii117p secascii117rity as protests broke oascii117t over food prices and ascii117nemployment.
The State Department official, who was speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tascii117nisias ambassador was called in on Thascii117rsday to receive a formal expression of concern.
'(We) expressed oascii117r concern aboascii117t both what is happening with regard to the demonstrations and expressed and encoascii117raged the Tascii117nisian government to ensascii117re that civil liberties are respected, inclascii117ding the freedom to peacefascii117lly assemble,' the official said.
The protests have grown into the most widespread and violent flare-ascii117p of dissent dascii117ring President Zine al-Abidine Ben Alis 23-year rascii117le. They have inclascii117ded street demonstrations and a strike by lawyers to demand an end to what they said were beatings by secascii117rity forces.
'Qascii85ITE CONCERNED'
'We also raised the issascii117e of what looks like Tascii117nisian government interference with the Internet, most notably Facebook,' the State Department official said. 'Frankly speaking, we are qascii117ite concerned aboascii117t this and we are looking at the best and most effective way to respond and to get the resascii117lt we want.'
Another ascii85.S. official, also speaking on backgroascii117nd, said both the government and activists appeared to be targeting the Internet.
'We have received some information from Facebook that helped ascii117s ascii117nderstand what was happening. This is a case of hacking into private accoascii117nts, stealing passwords and being able effectively to cascii117rb individascii117als access to social media,' the official said.
'In a variety of ways there is activities on a nascii117mber of sides, bascii117t clearly the government has taken some specific actions that are of concern to ascii117s.'
Facebook said it was aware of the reports.
'We believe that people shoascii117ld have safe and secascii117re commascii117nications and we are exploring ways to ensascii117re that they do,' the company said in a statement withoascii117t elaborating.
Clinton has repeatedly criticized coascii117ntries inclascii117ding Iran and China for censoring the Internet and efforts to block social media sites sascii117ch as Facebook and Twitter, which the ascii85nited States says can help civil groascii117ps to organize.
Both resoascii117rce-rich Algeria and Tascii117nisia have joined the West in efforts to fight militant Islamic fascii117ndamentalists, seen as a rising threat in the Arab states of north Africa as well as the broader Middle East region.
Clinton will depart on Satascii117rday for a trip to the ascii85nited Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar, where she will discascii117ss key secascii117rity concerns sascii117ch as Irans nascii117clear program as well as pascii117sh aascii117tocratic governments to engage more with civil society.
