Syrian government imposes iPhone ban to control dissidents
updated 03:00 pm EST, Fri December 2, 2011
Cellphone video regularly used to expose violence
The Syrian government has imposed a ban on iPhone use in the country, according to Customs Department documents reportedly obtained by local activists. "The authorities warn anyone against using the iphone in Syria," the statement reads. The move is believed to be a small additional step by the regime of Bashar al-Assad to prevent news of violence against protesters being made public. Footage from cellphones has often been one of the only means by which the outside world has learned of the crackdowns, since most foreign journalists are currently banned. Over 4,000 people have been murdered in the country since March.
Potentially adding extra significance to the ban is the fact that Abdel-Fattah Jandali -- the biological father of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs -- is Syrian. Jandali is now a participant of the Syrian Sit-in movement on YouTube, which looks to gain video support from people around the world. "I am in solidarity with the Syrian people," he says. "I reject the brutality and killing that the Syrian authorities are committing against the unarmed Syrian people. And because silence is participation in this crime, I declare my participation in the Syrian Sit-in on YouTube."
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Joined: Nov 2009
Silence your dissidents
This sounds like something out of the Apple iPlaybook. Silence those who are not happy with your policies, products or services. iFans should feel right at home.
OMG, Steve Jobs is of Syrian descent! Coincidence?