Egypt strengthens internet control

A new law has been approved by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to tighten the government's control over the internet.

Aimed at combating extremism, the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes legislation bans the "promotion of the ideas of terrorist organisations", CNN reported.

The new law, which was signed on Saturday, also allows authorities to block websites deemed by judges as threatening to national security.

It also prohibits the dissemination of information on the movement of security forces, while also imposing strict punishments for hacking government information systems, according to the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper.

Fattah el-Sisi's government has been criticised for blocking critical voices in the media and scrubbing digital content ever since it came into power in 2014.

Nearly 500 websites have already been blocked in Egypt since May 2017, according to the Cairo-based Association of Freedom of Thought and Expression.

--ANI