A Syrian activist works in the media centre in Bab Amr hours before it was shelled. Did spyware play a part? Flickr/Freedom House. Some rights reserved.
Along with everything else today, Syria's civil war has been digitised. State-owned infrastructure allows the government of Syria to snoop on communications. Militarised spyware and targeted malware attacks against members of the opposition, activists and journalists have been at the heart of Syria's digital civil war. While the use of US online commercial services may seem like a lesser evil, political alliances may change in light of a greater one, with seriously potential consequences for Syrian opposition activists.
Snooping on communications
Most communications networks in Syria are controlled by the Syrian government. The state-owned Syrian Telecom (STE), part of the Ministry of Telecommunications and Technology, is the main regulator of telecommunications in the country. STE owns most telecommunications infrastructure in the country and it faces very limited competition with private internet service providers (ISPs). STE states on its website that it does not share individuals' data unless required to do so under certain laws and regulations.
