SOURCE: AL JAZEERA NEWS
The government takes the decision in an effort to prevent a repeat of the 2016 leaks in high school exams
The Algerian government has ordered telecom companies to shut down the internet in the country for several hours every day for the next few days to prevent high school students from cheating.
Facebook will be blocked completely during the five days the exams take place.
The decision was made in an attempt to prevent what happened in 2016, when the exam questions leaked online before the exams took place.
According to Algerie Telecom, access will be cut off for mobile and landline connections for about two hours every morning until 25 June.
The shutdown was confirmed by the Internet Intelligence project from internet company Oracle, which monitors web access across the globe.
In 2016, the questions for the Algerian high school exams leaked before students took the exam, prompting the government to request internet service providers to limit access to social media in 2017.
However, not happy with those results, the government decided this year to shut down the internet entirely to prevent another leak.
Iraq will implement similar measures for the next two weeks while exams take place in the country.
Shutdowns amount to censorship
This is following earlier shutdowns from 27 May until 13 June, during which exams were being held as well.
SMEX, a Beirut-based organisation promoting an open internet in the Arab world, said there is no data suggesting these types of precautions work.
“Governments take these measures and suggest that ‘widespread cheating’ or some variation of that phrase has occurred in the previous year, but they never provide data and they never mention how effective these internet shutdowns were,” SMEX’s Grant Baker told Al Jazeera.
More often, governments are resorting to shutting down the internet to prevent cheating during exams.
In recent years, India, Iraq, Syria and Ethiopia have all disconnected their populations from the internet in an attempt to stop exam fraud.
Free speech advocates and rights organisation have condemned these measures, saying the shutdowns amount to censorship of the population, crippling the economy.
SMEX provided Al Jazeera with some personal accounts of people who have had to deal with the current shutdowns.
“As a result of the government’s Internet shutdown during exams, I lost a job opportunity with an international company because I missed the Skype interview,” an Algerian marketer told SMEX.
Another account was given by an Iraq account, who said he sits around the office doing nothing during the shutdowns.
“Students will find other ways to cheat while our work gets damaged and we lose time,” the accountant told SMEX.
Access Now, a human rights group focused on digital rights, called on governments around the globe to stop internet shut downs.
Cost to the economy
“Disruptions around school exams are a unique issue. They impact many different groups, such as students, teachers, parents, proctors, internet service providers, telecommunications companies, internet companies, testing services, and education agencies, and it’s clear that most of them would prefer an alternative to an internet blackout,” a 2017 statement by the group said.
Several countries, including India, Ethiopia, and Mauritania have all shut down access to the internet to prevent cheating on exams.
Turning off the internet partially or completely has become a way for governments to silence criticism as well.
In Iran, the internet was shut down during the 2017 protests.
Syria, embroiled in a civil war, has shut down the internet repeatedly.
Cameroon shut down internet access in its anglophone regions to prevent the population from organising during protests.
Shutdowns not only affect free speech, but also have a huge effect on economies.
According to Bahrain Watch, an organisation researching the Gulf state, daily shutdowns in 2016 cost the country at least $265,000.
An estimate by the Brookings Institutesaid that the shutdowns cost the global economy about $200bn in two years from 2015 to 2016.
“It is safe to say that these shutdowns have a negative effect on the economy and in the event of a disaster, they could have an extremely negative effect as well,” Baker told Al Jazeera.
Viagra Order Online Order Levothyroxine 125mcg Online Keflex For Cellulitis levitra medicament maroc Buy Non Perscription Elavil
Cialis 4 Tabletas Viagra Erfahrungsberichte Nebenwirkungen cialis 5mg Buy Doxycycline Medication Online Propecia Black Hair
Acheter Belgique Buy Diflucan 150 Mg What Does Cephalexin Look Like trouver levitra generique Do I Need Prescription For Cialis Potenzmittel Viagra Levitra
Clomid Et Pas De Regles Amoxicillin 875 Klavan Viagra Fur Die Frau Flussig cialis Priligy Plus Cialis Naproxen And Amoxicillin Allergy Cialis Rush Order
2061 Buy Malegra Dxt 130 Mg Doctor Free Viagra Propecia Y Drogas achat viagra legal Purchase Prednisone Online Where Can I Buy Retin A Online?
Viagra 50mg Ohne Rezept Propecia Caratteristiche viagra Nuovo Levitra 10 Mg Atlantic Drugstore Reviews Viagra Rezeptfrei Direkt Kaufen
Comprar Cialis Directorio Discount Elocon C.O.D. Can I Purchase With Free Shipping Propecia Efectos Colaterales Deseo viagra prescription Kamagra Erfahrungsberichte Comprar Levitra Original
Buy Generic Viagra 100 Mg Brand Viagra Best Price levitra precio Commander Cialis Discount Priligy In Canada
Walgreens Otc Asthma Medicine cialis overnight shipping from usa Legally Cash On Delivery Clobetasol Mastercard Accepted Internet Viagra To Purchase Online Donde Comprar Cialis Madrid
Amoxicillin Dosing Children Otitis Media Viagra 50 Ou 100 Mg Levitra Espanol viagra Mejor Marca Para Tomar Propecia Buy Propecia In Netherlands
Discounty Stendra Buy Cheap Cialis Discount Online cialis without a doctor’s prescription Normal Dosage For Amoxicillin Cialis Generico Disfuncion Erectil
Finasteride Permanent Side Effects Propecia Canadian Cialis Without Prescription 36 Hour Cialis Buy viagra belgique Viagra Barata Effexor Xr Without Rx
Propecia Testosterone Over The Counter Mediformin viagra online prescription Preisvergleich Viagra Rezeptfrei Buy Propecia In Europe
When Does Amoxicillin Expire canadian levitra Levitra Bailler Alli Available In Canada Amoxicillin Allergy Delayed Onset
Cialis In Canada Amoxicillin For Face Rash viagra generique Levitra Peligroso
Acheter Cytotec En Ligne Sans Ordonnance Non Prescription Levitra viagra Viagra Prezzo Basso Comparaison Prix Viagra Cialis Levitra
Cialis For Daily Use Online Il Cialis Commenti Buy Cialis In Singapore 166 generic cialis canada Best Buy Provera Cephalexin Perscription Manufacturer Get Robaxin Online No Prescription
Pastillas Cialis Barato Propecia Perdida De Pelo online pharmacy Cialis Prix Pharmacie Maroc Medicament Similaire Au Dapoxetine Mefloquine
Progesterone Online Best Website Truro Kamagra Vente Libre Allemagne Can Men Use Womans Cialis viagra Viamedic. Com Pille Viagra Generika Potenzmittel
testing
levitra
vardenafil brand name
canadian drugs online pharmacy surgeon