Access to public information and too much access to personal information has taken the spotlight at the 2022 Climate Change Conference (COP27) taking place in Egypt this week.
Journalists and environmental activists on Monday used social media to post various websites that they were unable to access from the conference. Websites that appear blocked from Egypt include Human Rights Watch, Al Jazeera, and Earth Uprising, according to journalists and activists’ tweets on Monday.
There are so many blocked websites in Egypt at #COP27 , that it is noticeable and hard for us to work. We can’t use our @Earth_Uprising Medium site, because Medium is blocked. News agencies we refer to are blocked.
There is no climate action without truth and information.— Alexandria Villaseñor is at #COP27! (@AlexandriaV2005) November 7, 2022
If you’re in Egypt for #COP27 and want to read this report, you can’t. It appears that Human Rights Watch’s website is blocked on Egyptian mobile data and WiFi. @OwenJones84 @PeterTatchell @stonewalluk https://t.co/3F1Xfae0er
— Joel Scott-Halkes (@Joelscotthalkes) November 7, 2022
So many blocked websites @COP27P… Makes a mockery of it all!
— SKeegan 🕶️ (@SKeegan9) November 7, 2022
Blocking of websites limits access to information for attendees taking part in key discussions and reporting on the issues taking part at the conference.
It’s not the first time that Egypt has limited its citizens’ internet access. Over the years, the country has been accused of human rights violations linked to access to information.
In the days leading up to the event, human rights watchdogs outside the country warned of the injustices faced by journalists in Egypt, with some calling it ‘ the biggest prison in the world for journalists.’
Egypt is one of the “biggest prisons” in the world for journalists, says @RSF_inter, while state security controls the #media, with over 600 websites blocked.
No #ClimateJustice without #HumanRights #COP27 pic.twitter.com/GtDLl40q3f
— CIHRS (@CIHRS_Alerts) October 2, 2022
The use of voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services like Skype and Whatsapp calls has been temporarily lifted for COP27, however, major websites remain blocked.
Too much personal information
The official COP27 app requires so much personal information that users fear possible surveillance. It asked for access to a user’s location, emails, images, microphone, Bluetooth, and the ability to pair with other apps.
Following a report by The Guardian about the app, experts flocked to social media on Monday warning users about the protection of their information.
“This is a cartoon super-villain of an app” says @EFF. If you are at #COP27 and have downloaded the official app, you need to assume your phone has been compromised and deleting the app won’t close the backdoor. https://t.co/r6WRCO1UtV
— Naomi Klein (@NaomiAKlein) November 6, 2022
Additional reporting: The Guardian.