Cambodia’s new Chinese-style national internet network, which went live on February 16, will funnel all internet traffic in and out of the country through state-controlled data points, making it fully monitored by the government.
There are fears that the move will have a strong negative impact not only on freedom of speech, but also on the country’s media and businesses.
All ISPs in the country are required to route their traffic through a gateway. Revocation of business licenses or freezing of bank accounts are among the penalties for violations. Additionally, all traffic entering Cambodia will be censored.
In the name of “social order, security and tradition…”
Government spokesman Phay Siphan insisted new internet gateways were needed “to combat cybercrime, maintain national security and collect revenue”.
He said all websites that “adversely affect the country’s income, security, social order, morals, culture, traditions and customs” will be blocked, adding that “Cambodians need to understand that freedom of speech comes with responsibility” and ” Insulting or manipulating information affects national security or personal reputation.”
However, critics of the Great Firewall say it’s not about this kind of censorship, it’s about control. Human Rights Watch’s analysis of the gateway said it would “allow the government to monitor all internet activity and give authorities broad powers to block and disconnect internet connections.”
The surveillance gateway was set up a year before Cambodia’s 2023 elections to understand how effectively social media and other internet channels can express and organize opposition, most recently in Thailand and Myanmar.
Emerging digital economy suffers setbacks
Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asian Internet Alliance, a regional lobby group, said the gateway “would limit Cambodians’ ability to access a free and open internet and seriously damage the country’s nascent digital economy.”
Others say that, in addition to adversely affecting companies and digital entrepreneurship, portals are not helping to attract skilled expats and digital nomads to the country.
Virtual Private Networks Are Suddenly Popular
Before implementing the new internet gateway, many Cambodians had turned to virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow bypassing online censorship by hiding users’ internet protocol addresses and physical location, while encrypting internet traffic.
So far, there have been no reports of Cambodian authorities cracking down on the use of VPNs in the country.
Cambodia’s new Chinese-style national internet network, which went live on February 16, will funnel all internet traffic in and out of the country through state-controlled data points, making it fully monitored by the government. There are fears that the move will have a strong negative impact not only on freedom of speech, but also on the country’s media and businesses. All ISPs in the country are required to route their traffic through a gateway. Revocation of business licenses or freezing of bank accounts are penalties for violations. Additionally, all traffic entering Cambodia will be subject to…
Cambodia’s new Chinese-style national internet network, which went live on February 16, will funnel all internet traffic in and out of the country through state-controlled data points, making it fully monitored by the government.
There are fears that the move will have a strong negative impact not only on freedom of speech, but also on the country’s media and businesses.
All ISPs in the country are required to route their traffic through a gateway. Revocation of business licenses or freezing of bank accounts are among the penalties for violations. Additionally, all traffic entering Cambodia will be censored.
In the name of “social order, security and tradition…”
Government spokesman Phay Siphan insisted new internet gateways were needed “to combat cybercrime, maintain national security and collect revenue”.
He said all websites that “adversely affect the country’s income, security, social order, morals, culture, traditions and customs” will be blocked, adding that “Cambodians need to understand that freedom of speech comes with responsibility” and ” Insulting or manipulating information affects national security or personal reputation.”
However, critics of the Great Firewall say it’s not about this kind of censorship, it’s about control. Human Rights Watch’s analysis of the gateway said it would “allow the government to monitor all internet activity and give authorities broad powers to block and disconnect internet connections.”
The surveillance gateway was set up a year before Cambodia’s 2023 elections to understand how effectively social media and other internet channels can express and organize opposition, most recently in Thailand and Myanmar.
Emerging digital economy suffers setbacks
Jeff Paine, managing director of the Asian Internet Alliance, a regional lobby group, said the gateway “would limit Cambodians’ ability to access a free and open internet and seriously damage the country’s nascent digital economy.”
Others say that, in addition to adversely affecting companies and digital entrepreneurship, portals are not helping to attract skilled expats and digital nomads to the country.
Virtual Private Networks Are Suddenly Popular
Before implementing the new internet gateway, many Cambodians had turned to virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow bypassing online censorship by hiding users’ internet protocol addresses and physical location, while encrypting internet traffic.
So far, there have been no reports of Cambodian authorities cracking down on the use of VPNs in the country.
