Egypt tightens restrictions on media, social networks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Egypt's top media regulator has put into effect tighter restrictions that allow the state to block websites and even social media accounts with over 5,000 followers if they're deemed a threat to national security.
The Supreme Media Regulatory Council will also be able to impose stiff penalties of up to 250,000 Egyptian pounds ($14,400), all without having to obtain a court order.
Critics say some of the measures, published in the official gazette late Monday, are stricter than those approved by lawmakers last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Prominent Egyptian journalists are calling the measures unconstitutional, saying they grant far-reaching powers to authorities to censor the media, in violation of basic press freedoms.
Mohamed Abdel-Hafiz says he and fellow member of the journalists' union will mount a legal challenge to the new measures.