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Displaced Syrians and those that remain are at a disadvantage.

Supporting the education of Syrians aids in their inclusion back into the global conversation and eventually economy. The higher level of education Syrians have can help them access the political realm and make great change or aid in their transition if they are unfortunately forced to flea. Whether the access to this app and internet is used in a formal school space or in the safety of one's home one can have consistant education.

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In the digital age, smartphones are more prevalent than ever before, these are used a source of power for many people in conflict zones and refugees, whether that's to plan political protests on social media or whether it acts as the final connection to their families who have left or those who can not escape

In the spirit of resistance (whether openly vocal about doing so) we support education as it creates equity. We will support of creation an app for online books specifically for literacy (see the children's book website for inspiration)

Numerous books will be available in Arabic

Introduction of the Loon Wifi balloons will support internet or faster internet in areas previously "off-the-grid" so more Syrians can access the app

Potential Challenges

If there was no access to the internet (or during a switch of balloons) there are a few fail safe plans that could be considered.

Ebooks will have a downloadable function so that they can be remotely accessed even if a device has no internet access

In order to maintain our project in Syria longterm, we will allow for the government to look through the app and censor (hopefully a limited amount)

Additionally, officials can be present at balloon launches to mitigate the fear of supervision

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Following Plan International UK: Benefits of Literacy
1. Literacy lifts individuals out of poverty
2. Literacy improves the development of the wider community
3. Literacy reduces infant mortality rates

4. Literacy empowers women and girls
5. Literacy positively impacts economic growth beyond the local community

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About 14 to cover the entirety of the nation. Loon internet balloons have coverage of approx. 5,000 square kilometers. 14 may not be needed as some areas may experience enough wireless coverage.

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Due to Syria's current economic crisis, outside sources of funding will definitely need to be implemented in order to fund this project.

1. Donors, Donors, DONORS. Without public or private donations towards the the belief of our po

2. Partnerships: Loon technology is fairly new and is still it's trial period. Trials held now in Kenya are awaiting results as telecom and cellular companies grow interest in this technology. Privatization is not a goal of this project however funding from private sources is accepted as public funds are not always substancial.

3. The test phase of these balloons has not provided a current price of balloons, but management can be presumed to be costly as each balloon needs to be monitored. Also, in the global helium shortage, helium prices have risen, causing the fueling of these large balloons will be costly.

4. A possible extension of the app could be the inclusion of narration (seen in many book apps) by Syrian stars, who can use their fame to bring attention and hopeful donations to this project.

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In order to establish a positive relationship with Syrian officials, we find it important as a project to acknowledge the ongoing conflict but have structured our statement to be vague to not ruffle feathers, however we will stand by our morals on fair implementation for girls and women.

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Mobile phone penetration increased and internet access became more affordable across several regions (see Availability and Ease of Access).

Numerous regional and Lebanese media websites, Wikipedia, and the WordPress blogging platform were unblocked in 2017. The block on the Israeli domain (.il) was also lifted (see Blocking and Filtering).

Self-censorship has increased amid growing threats and violent reprisals for online posts (see Media, Diversity, and Content Manipulation; and Intimidation and Violence).

In August 2017, it was confirmed that digital activist Bassel Khartabil Safadi was executed by the regime's security forces in 2015. He had been detained in 2012 for his democratic activism (see Intimidation and Violence).

Law Number 9, passed in March 2018, establishes specialized courts for criminal cases related to communication and technology; critics worry the courts could be used to further suppress freedom of expression online (see Legal Environment).

Introduction:
Despite heavy restrictions on internet freedom, the cost and availability of internet access improved over the past year. The unexplained unblocking of several websites was offset by heightened self-censorship amid growing threats and violent reprisals for online activities.

In a positive development, authorities unblocked a number of regional and Lebanese media websites by the end of 2017, including Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Asharq al-Awsat, the Qatari Al-Arab newspaper, and Al-Hayat, in addition to the Syrian websites The New Syrian, Enab Baladi, and Souriali Radio. Many nonpolitical websites were also unblocked, such as Wikipedia and the WordPress blogosphere. Notably, the block on the Israeli domain (.il) was also lifted. No formal rationale was provided for the unblocking decision, though analysts think that as the government has gained ground in the civil war, it may be trying to demonstrate a reformist attitude toward freedom of expression.

In March 2018, the government passed Law Number 9, which established specialized courts for criminal cases related to information and communication technologies. Judges on these courts will be specially trained to handle technology issues, although the results of this training on human rights conditions are yet to be seen. The lack of judicial independence in Syria has led to concerns that the new law could be used to suppress freedom of expression and criminalize critics of the regime even further.

Despite relative improvements to access, Syria remains one of the most dangerous places to use the internet in the world. According to Reporters Without Borders, 12 citizen journalists were killed in 2017. In August 2017, it was confirmed that digital activist Bassel Khartabil Safadi was executed by the regime's security forces in 2015. He had been detained in 2012 for his democratic activism.
Obstacles to Access: Mobile phone penetration increased in 2017, the cost of access became more affordable across regions in the past year. There were fewer restrictions on cybercafés, particularly in IS-held territories. Nonetheless, internet access was still subject to regular shutdowns both in areas controlled by the regime and rebel-held territories. Availability and Ease of Access
Syria's telecommunications infrastructure is one of the least developed in the Middle East, with broadband connections among the most difficult and expensive to acquire. This worsened after 2011, as electricity outages increased dramatically following public protests and the government's corresponding crackdown. Damage to the communications infrastructure is particularly severe in cities where the government is no longer in control, largely due to bombing and other damage caused by the civil war. As a result, a decentralized telecommunications infrastructure has developed, with each part of the country finding different sources of connectivity.

Around two-thirds of the country is disconnected from Syrian ISP networks. Syrians have turned to WiMax connections, internet cables, or Turkish Wi-Fi operators for connectivity, which feed local distributors, who in turn provide subscriptions to local residents. In addition, many rely on mobile phone connections from Turkish operators in rebel-controlled areas in northern Syria, or Jordanian operators in border areas with Jordan in southern Syria, as well as lines from Israeli operators in border areas with occupied Palestinian territories in southwestern Syria. Others use satellite communication systems (VSAT) that serve internet cafés and some organizations. The monthly subscription fees for 40 GB of 3G and 4G data via Jordanian operators in southern Syria reached US$13 in 2017. Many telephone centers in rebel-controlled areas in northern Syria install ADSL lines for landline subscribers using Turkish ISPs.
Restrictions on Connectivity
There are two main mobile phone providers: Syriatel, owned by Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of President Bashar al-Assad, and MTN Syria, a subsidiary of the South African company. During the 60th cycle of the Damascus International Exhibition in August 2017, the two companies announced the launch of 4G high-speed internet service.
Regulatory Bodies Limits on Content: The government engages in extensive filtering of websites related to politics, minorities, human rights, and foreign affairs. In a positive development, authorities had unblocked a number of websites by the end of 2017. However, self-censorship heightened in the past year amid growing threats and violent reprisals for online activities, particularly in areas under government control. Blocking and Filtering
Authorities block a variety of internet content. Since the beginning of the civil war, a number of websites have been employed to mobilize people to protest or resist the regime, including the websites linked to the Local Coordination Committees (LCCs) network. Many of these sites have been subject to blocking, in addition to opposition websites and the websites of human rights organizations, content critical of the regime's political, cultural, social or economic policies, criticism of high-level government officials, and sites that expose official corruption.

In a positive development, authorities had unblocked a number of regional and Lebanese media websites by the end of 2017, including Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya, Asharq al-Awsat, the Qatari Al-Arab newspaper, and Al-Hayat, in addition to the Syrian websites the New Syrian, Enab Baladi, and Souriali Radio. Many nonpolitical websites were unblocked as well, such as Wikipedia and the WordPress blogosphere. Notably, the block on the Israeli domain (.il) was also lifted. No formal rationale was provided for the unblocking decision, though analysts think that as the government has gained ground in the civil war, it may be trying to demonstrate a reformist attitude toward freedom of expression.

Nonetheless, a number of websites remained blocked, including Al-Quds Al-Arabi and the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Seyassah, as well as the websites of human rights groups such as the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the Syrian Human Rights Committee, and Souriatna, a magazine that offers the perspectives of young Syrians.

Facebook has been accessible since the government lifted a four-year block on the social network in 2011. The video-sharing website YouTube was also unblocked. Some activists suspected that the regime unblocked the sites to track citizens' online activities and identities. As of 2018, both were among the top-three most visited websites in the country. Other social media platforms such as Twitter are also available.

Skype, on the other hand, has suffered frequent disruptions, either due to low speeds or intermittent blocking by authorities. In February 2012, the government also began restricting access to some applications on mobile phones that activists had been using to circumvent other blocks. Antivirus software and updates to operating systems remain blocked due to U.S. sanctions, to the dismay of many U.S.-based activists.

The government continues to block circumvention tools, internet security software, and applications that enable anonymous communications. By enabling deep packet inspection (DPI) filtering on the Syrian network, authorities were able to block secure communications tools such as OpenVPN, Later 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP), and Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) in August 2011.

In addition to blocking websites, authorities forced the owners of a number of websites to shut them down, including the news sites Syrian Mirror and An-Nazahah ("Integrity"), whose owner was arrested by the Information Branch of the General Intelligence Directorate that forced the website's closure.

Censorship is implemented by the STE and private ISPs, using various commercially available software programs. Independent reports in recent years pointed to the use of ThunderCache software, which is capable of "monitoring and controlling a user's dynamic web-based activities as well as conducting deep packet inspection." Authorities have also used technology provided by the Italian company Area SpA to improve their censorship and surveillance capabilities, according to evidence from 2011. The contract with Area SpA included software and hardware manufactured by companies such as Blue Coat Systems, NetApp, and Sophos. Blue Coat had reportedly sold 14 devices to an intermediary in Dubai, which then sent them to Area SpA, with Blue Coat apparently believing that the equipment would be given to the Iraqi government. However, logs obtained by the hacktivist group Telecomix in August 2011 revealed evidence of their use in Syria instead. In October of that year, Blue Coat acknowledged that 13 of the 14 devices had been redirected to the Syrian government, an inadvertent violation of a U.S. trade embargo, and that the company was cooperating with the relevant investigations. Analysis of the exposed Blue Coat logs revealed that censorship and surveillance were particularly focused on social-networking and video-sharing websites. The Wall Street Journal identified efforts to block or monitor tens of thousands of opposition websites or online forums covering the uprising.

The government has also allegedly filtered text messages since 2011, especially around the dates of planned protests. In February 2012, Bloomberg, using evidence from a series of interviews and leaked documents, reported that a special government unit known as Branch 225 had ordered Syriatel and MTN Syria to block text messages containing key words like "revolution" or "demonstration." The providers reportedly implemented the directives with the help of technology originally purchased from two Irish firms to restrict spam.

Decisions surrounding online censorship lack transparency, and ISPs do not publicize the details of how blocking is implemented or which websites are banned, though government officials have publicly admitted to engaging in online censorship. When a user seeks access to a blocked website, an error message appears implying a technical problem rather than deliberate government restriction. The entity (STE) that implements blocking is known, but it is unclear which security apparatus makes the decisions. Following a request to unblock the Al-Nazaha news site in 2008, the Ministry of Communications and Technology informed the court that "The website was blocked under the direction of Branch 225," one of the security branches of the Military Intelligence Directorate.
Content Removal
According to digital security organization SecDev, the Facebook pages of dozens of opposition groups, media outlets, and independent nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have been suspended by the social network over the years. The Facebook pages of LCCs and the London-based Syrian Network for Human Rights have been banned, as well. Activists believe that Facebook users sympathetic to President Assad may be reporting the pages en masse for violating user guidelines. Razan Zeitouneh of the Violations Documentation Center shared a letter urging Facebook to keep the pages open, stating that "Facebook pages are the only outlet that allows Syrians and media activists to convey the events and atrocities to the world." Representatives from Facebook have cited the difficulties in discerning between objective reporting and propaganda, particularly since many armed extremists use the platform.

Activists and human rights advocates expressed dismay that thousands of videos and dozens of channels documenting war crimes and human rights abuses were removed from the YouTube platform in mid-2017, after YouTube applied a "machine learning" algorithm that tracks any content that could violate the platform's rules. YouTube has since restored a number of channels and reposted thousands of clips that were mistakenly removed.
Media, Diversity, and Content Manipulation
Proregime forces have employed a range of tactics to manipulate online content and discredit unfavorable news reports, though it is often difficult to attribute these actions directly to the government. The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA), a progovernment hacktivist group, targets the websites of opposition forces, human rights groups, and foreign media outlets (see Technical Attacks). Journalists with domestic outlets sometimes receive phone calls from government officials offering "directions" on how to cover particular events. The government also supports and promotes websites that provide progovernment coverage. These sites typically cite the reporting of SANA, the official state news agency, with the same wording often evident across multiple websites. Since early 2011, this approach has also been used to promote the government's view of the uprising and subsequent military campaign. Interestingly, in 2012, the progovernment website Aksalser changed its stance to support the opposition and was subsequently blocked by the government. The government has since unblocked the website, likely at the end of 2017.

U.S. sanctions have resulted in the blocking of paid online services, making it difficult for Syrians to purchase a domain or host their websites in the U.S. Restrictions on importing funds into Syria has made publishing content difficult. For instance, the magazine Syrian Oxygen was unable to obtain SSL certificates for its website from U.S. providers, apparently because the domain syrianoxygen.com contains the word "Syria."
Digital Activism
Syrians are active on Facebook, using it as a platform to share news, discuss events, release statements, and coordinate both online and offline activities.
Violations of User Rights: Law Number 9, passed in March 2018, establishes specialized courts for criminal cases related to communication and technology; critics worry the courts could be used to further suppress freedom of expression online. Citizen journalists, bloggers, and activists were detained and often tortured while in detention. Netizens were confirmed killed during the coverage period. Legal Environment
In March 2018, the government passed Law Number 9, which establishes specialized courts for criminal cases related to communication and technology. Some analysts view the creation of such courts as a positive step. Judges on these courts will be specially trained to handle technology issues. However, the lack of judicial independence in Syria has led to concerns that the new law could be used to suppress freedom of expression and criminalize critics of the regime.
Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities
Human rights activists who work online are also targeted by the government and rebels. Four members of the Violations Documentation Center (VDC) were kidnapped by an unknown group from a rebel-controlled area in December 2013. Authorities raided the offices of the Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM) in February 2012, arresting 14 employees. One SCM member and civil rights blogger, Razan Ghazzawi, was detained for 22 days. The other members were released in August 2015 after three years in pretrial detention.

The Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham arrested a number of digital activists in the governorate of Idlib on various charges, such as "media work against HTS," which is the charge that media activists Amjad Al-Maleh, Hussam Mahmoud, Hassan Younis, and Bakr Younis faced when they were arrested in December 2017. Activists launched a media campaign for their release, under the slogan "Free Madaya Activists," and a number of organizations signed a statement demanding their release. Many media activists have left Syria for Turkey after receiving threats or being arrested.
Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity
Reports of sophisticated phishing and malware attacks targeting online activists emerged in February 2012. The U.S.-based Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) reported that malware called Darkcomet RAT (remote access tool) and Xtreme RAT had been found on activists' computers and were capable of capturing webcam activity, logging keystrokes, stealing passwords, and more. Both applications sent the data back to the same IP address in Syria and were circulated via email and instant messaging programs. Later, EFF reported the appearance of a fake YouTube channel carrying opposition videos that requested users' login information and prompted them to download an update to Adobe Flash, which was in fact a malware program that enabled data to be stolen from their computer. Upon its discovery, the fake channel was taken down. Due to the prevailing need for circumvention and encryption tools among activists and other opposition members, authorities have developed fake Skype encryption tools and a fake VPN application, both containing harmful Trojans.

A 2014 report by Kaspersky Labs revealed that some 10,000 victims' computers had been infected with RATs in Syria, as well as in other Middle Eastern countries and the United States. The attackers sent messages via Skype, Facebook, and YouTube to dupe victims into downloading surveillance malware. One file was disguised as a spreadsheet listing the names of activists and "wanted" individuals.

A Citizen Lab report revealed that "middleboxes were being used" by Turk Telecom, one of the cross-border ISPs in northern Syria, "to redirect hundreds of users attempting to download certain legitimate programs to versions of those programs bundled with spyware. The report added that "targeted users in Turkey and Syria who downloaded Windows applications from official vendor websites including Avast Antivirus, CCleaner, Opera, and 7-Zip were silently redirected to malicious versions by way of injected HTTP redirects." This affected a number of devices used by the YPG Kurdish militia. Since January 2018, the YPG have been targeted by the Turkish air and ground forces as part of Operation Olive Branch.

Anonymous communication is possible online, but is increasingly restricted. Registration is required to purchase a mobile phone, though in recent years, activists have used the SIM cards of friends and colleagues killed in clashes with security forces to shield their identities. Mobile phones from neighboring countries like Turkey and Lebanon have been widely used since 2012, notably by Free Syrian Army fighters and, increasingly, civilians.
Intimidation and Violence
Once in custody, citizen journalists, bloggers, and other detainees frequently endure beatings and torture at the hands of government authorities. According to Reporters Without Borders, 12 citizen journalists were killed in 2017.

In August 2017, it was confirmed that digital activist Bassel Khartabil Safadi was executed by the regime's security forces in 2015. He had been detained in 2012 for his democratic activism.

In March 2017, Mohamed Abadzied, also known as George Samara, was killed during an airstrike by the Russian and Syrian militaries in the city of Daraa. Shortly before his death, Abadzied had posted a live video of the airstrike on his Facebook page.

In September 2015, it was revealed that Al-Fida newspaper's cartoonist Akram Raslan, who had shared antigovernment cartoons on Arabic news sites and social media, had died in state custody in 2013. He had been arrested in October 2012 and was allegedly tortured to death.

Separately, in a video recording published by IS on June 26, 2016, five journalists - many of whom worked primarily online - were murdered. In at least two cases, IS militants had rigged the individuals' computers or cameras with explosives. Citizen journalists have also been targeted by IS militants while in Turkey. Ibrahim Adul Kader of the human rights organization Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RBSS) was killed by IS militants in the city of Urfa, Turkey along with his friend Fares Hammadi in October 2015. Naji Jaraf, editor in chief of the opposition Hentah Magazine and an activist with RBSS, was shot and killed in the Turkish city of Gaziantep in December 2015. Hundreds of activists have gone into hiding or fled Syria. Blogger Assad Hanna left Syria following online threats stemming from his criticism of the regime, but was badly injured by knife-wielding assailants at his apartment in Turkey in April 2015.
Technical Attacks
The SEA made headlines after hacking major western media outlets and organizations, including the websites of the New York Times, the U.S. Marines, Facebook, and many others. Most of the attacks occurred at the DNS level, which involved redirecting requests for the domain name to another server. In 2013, the Twitter account of Barack Obama, run by staff from Organizing for Action (OFA), was briefly hacked by the SEA, resulting in the account posting shortened links to SEA sites. The hackers had gained access to the Gmail account of an OFA staffer. Also in 2013, the SEA hacked the website and Twitter feed of Human Rights Watch, redirecting visitors to the SEA homepage. These tactics continued with the high-profile hacking of Forbes in 2014 and the Washington Post in 2015.
Notes:
2 International Telecommunication Union, "Statistics," 2016, http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.

3 International Telecommunication Union, "Statistics," 2017, http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx.

4 "Syrian company provides "Internet" service in the town of Sarmin Idleb", 12 January 2017, Smartnews-Agency, [In Arabic], https://bit.ly/2HUtT0c

5 Syrian Computer Society Network, "ADSL Services and price" [in Arabic], accessed May 17, 2017, http://bit.ly/250BUqt.

6 Labor Observatory for Studies and Research, "The Syrian's living costs are 7 times higher than his income". [Arabic] June 6, 2017, http://syriasteps.com/?d=126&id=151984&in_main_page=1.

7 Doug Madory, "Internet Returns to Aleppo, Syria," Dyn Research, November 11, 2015, http://research.dyn.com/2015/11/internet-returns-to-aleppo-syria/.

8 "Turkish Internet service disconnected from Northern Syria", 21 Jan 2018 Smartnews-Agency, https://smartnews-agency.com/en/wires/256293/turkish-internet-service-disconnected-from-northern-syria.

9 "Tahreer Al sham" breaks off the Internet services form the cities and towns in Idlib, 26 February 2018, Smartnews-Agency, [In Arabic], https://bit.ly/2FakvCQ

10 Doug Madory, "War-torn Syrian city gets new fiber link," Dyn Research, October 12, 2016, http://research.dyn.com/2016/10/war-torn-syrian-city-gets-new-fiber-link/.

11 Aleppo News network, "Internet disconnection is deliberate, and these are the reasons", May 1, 2017, https://www.nfac-sy.net/news/10413

12 Syrian Telecom, "Intelligent Network Project," http://www.in-ste.gov.sy/inindex_en.html.

13 Jaber Baker, "Internet in Syria: experimental goods and a field of a new control," White and Black Magazine, posted on Marmarita website, August 10, 2008, http://www.dai3tna.com/nuke/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=6019. (no longer available)

16 Ayham Saleh, "Internet, Media and Future in Syria" [in Arabic], The Syrian Center for Media and Free Expression, November 14, 2006, http://bit.ly/1hfdwWl.

17 Launch of 4G service at Damascus International Fair. Al Watan newspaper. [Arabic]. August 22. 2017. http://alwatan.sy/archives/116132

18 Ministry of Communication and Technology, "Overview," [in Arabic], http://www.moct.gov.sy/moct/?q=ar/node/21.

19 Sean Gallagher, "Network Solutions seizes over 700 domains registered to Syrians," Ars Technica, May 8, 2013, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/05/network-solutions-seized-over-700-domains-registered-to-syrians/.

21 Alexa, "Top Sites in SY," accessed October 25, 2016, http://www.alexa.com/topsites/countries/SY.

22 Mike Rispoli, "Access joins open letter to tech industry addressing overcompliance with U.S. sanctions," Access, June 28, 2012, http://bit.ly/1i0XdDM.

23 Dlshad Othman, "Bypassing censorship by using obfsproxy and openVPN, SSH Tunnel," Dlshad, June 22, 2013, http://bit.ly/1KH3KjZ.

24 Syrian center for media and freedom expression, "Taming the Internet", [In Arabic], https://bit.ly/2JlEqBf

25 Reporters Without Borders, "Syria," Enemies of the Internet: Countries under surveillance, March 12, 2010, http://bit.ly/1OCZ0cS, and Platinum, Inc., "ThunderCache Overview," accessed August 14, 2012, http://www.platinum.sy/index.php?m=91.

27 Blue Coat, "Update on Blue Coat Devices in Syria," news release, December 15, 2011, http://bit.ly/1FzFd8X.

31 Violations of freedom of expression in the time between 4/5/2007 to 3/5/2008, Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression, [In Arabic], https://bit.ly/2qZGXcT

33 Amr Alhamad, "Holding on to Seafoam: Insights on the Reality of Radio and Web Publishing in Syria" Weedoo, November, 2016, https://weedoo.tech/our-studies-en/holding-on-to-seafoam-insights-on-the-reality-of-radio-and-web-publishing-in-syria/.

35 Email communication from a Syrian blogger. Name was hidden.

41 Facebook page "the observatory" and the user guide, https://bit.ly/2qUydFq

43 Christophe Koettl, "The YouTube War: Citizen Videos Revolutionize Human Rights Monitoring in Syria," Mediashift (blog), PBS, February 18, 2014, http://bit.ly/1Nkfnw9.

45 Syrian Penal Code, art. 285, 286, 287

46 Syrian Penal Code, art. 378.

47 Global Resource and Information Directory, "Legislation," in "Syria," http://www.fosigrid.org/middle-east/syria.

48 "While choosing the judges according to this law, it should be considered that they have been trained on combating communication and technology crimes, or have gained practical experience in such kind of cases". Article 6 of Act No. 9 of 2018. Syrian Arab News Agency. 25 March 2018. [Arabic]. https://www.sana.sy/?p=730729

49 See Reporters Without Borders, "Violations of Press Freedom Barometer," 2017, https://rsf.org/en/barometer?year=2017&type_id=233#list-barometre.

50 "Renewed calls for Bassel Khartabil's release on 4th anniversary of detention," Reporters Without Borders, March 17, 2016, https://rsf.org/en/news/renewed-calls-bassel-khartabils-release-4th-anniversary-detention.

51 Hania Mourtada, "'She Was My Mandela' - Famous Syrian Activist Gets Abducted," Time, December 11, 2013, http://ti.me/1KcXrTc.

52 Maha Assabalani, "My colleagues are in prison for fighting for free expression," UNCUT - Index on Censorship, May 11, 2012, http://bit.ly/1EYHMX9.

53 Jared Malsin, "Portrait of an Activist: Razan Ghazzawi, the Syrian Blogger Turned Exile," Time, April 2, 2013, http://ti.me/1Q46vKi.

54 An interview with Syrian blogger, February 2013, Skype.

55 Interviews with released bloggers, names were hidden.

56 Interview with Abu Ibrahim Raqqawi of Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, Skype.

57 "Law of the rulers to communicate on the network and the fight against cyber crime" art. 5-12. Informal English translation: https://telecomix.ceops.eu/material/testimonials/2012-02-08-Assad-new-law-on-Internet-regulation.html.

58 "Law of the rulers to communicate on the network and the fight against cyber crime" art. art. 2.

59 "Law of the rulers to communicate on the network and the fight against cyber crime" art. art. 8.

60 Ben Brumfield, "Computer spyware is newest weapon in Syrian conflict," CNN, February 17, 2012, http://cnn.it/1LZPQXn.

61 Eva Galperin and Morgan Marquis-Boire, "How to Find and Protect Yourself Against the Pro-Syrian-Government Malware on Your Computer," Electronic Frontier Foundation, March 5, 2012, http://bit.ly/xsbmXy.

62 Eva Galperin and Morgan Marquis-Boire, "Fake YouTube Site Targets Syrian Activists With Malware," Electronic Frontier Foundation, March 15, 2012, http://bit.ly/1XQhHzX.

63 "Syrian Malware" Up-to-date website collecting the malware http://syrianmalware.com/.

65 See Reporters Without Borders, "Violations of Press Freedom Barometer," for 2016 and 2017, https://rsf.org/en/barometer?year=2017&type_id=233#list-barometre.

67 Committee to Protect Journalists, "Syrian journalist killed by airstrike in Daraa," March 13, 2017, https://cpj.org/2017/03/syrian-journalist-killed-by-an-airstrike-in-daraa.php.

70 Enab Baladi Online, "ISIS Executes Five Journalists in Deir-ez-Zor," The Syrian Observer, June 27, 2016, http://syrianobserver.com/EN/News/31250/ISIS_Executes_Five_Journalists_Deir_Zor.

72 AP, "Reporters Without Borders urges Turkey to protect exiled Syrian journalists," US News and World Report, December 29, 2015, http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2015-12-29/journalism-group-calls-on-turkey-to-protect-syrian-reporters.

73 Interviews with two photographers who have taken refuge in Turkey, December 2011.

76 See Committee to Protect Journalists, "James Foley," Journalists Killed/Syria, 2014, https://cpj.org/killed/2014/james-foley.php, Committee to Protect Journalists, "Steven Sotloff," Journalists Killed/Syria, 2014, https://cpj.org/killed/2014/steven-sotloff.php, and Committee to Protect Journalists, "Kenji Goto," Journalists Killed/Syria, 2015, https://cpj.org/killed/2015/kenji-goto.php; I-fan Lin, "Hate Is Not What Humans Should Do: Slain Journalist Kenji Goto's Words Live On Online," Global Voices, February 7, 2015, http://bit.ly/1MyBlt1.

82 "Syrian Electronic Army Hacker Pleads Guilty" Department of justice, September 28, 2016, https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/syrian-electronic-army-hacker-pleads-guilty

90 The Syrian Electronic Army, http://sea.sy/index/en.

91 Haroon Siddique and Paul Owen, "Syria: Army retakes Damascus suburbs-Monday 30 January," The Guardian, January 30, 2012, http://bit.ly/1LZSDQA; Voltaire Network, "Speech by President Bashar al-Assad at Damascus University on the situation in Syria," June 20, 2011, http://bit.ly/1FzOUEp.

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United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

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Refworld | Freedom on the Net 2018 - Syria

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Refworld is the leading source of information necessary for taking quality decisions on refugee status. Refworld contains a vast collection of reports relating to situations in countries of origin, policy documents and positions, and documents relating to international and national legal frameworks.

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There's been a civil war in Syria for the last eight years, with different groups trying to seize control of the country.

The fighting has been between:

Soldiers who support the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad

Fighters known as , who don't want Assad to be in power anymore

The group that calls itself Islamic State (IS)

In the chaos of fighting between the government and anti-government fighters, IS took over large parts of Iraq and then moved into eastern Syria, where they were able to gain land and power.

By March 2019, IS had lost control of all the land they once occupied. More than 12,000 suspected IS members are now being held by Kurdish forces.

The situation is very complicated because other countries have got involved in the conflict.

The Syrian government's key supporters are Russia and Iran, while the US, Turkey and Saudi Arabia backed the rebels. The UK, France and other western countries have also provided varying levels of support to what they consider to be "moderate" rebels.

Fighting continues. Recently, the US removed troops from north-east of the country, which gave way for Turkey to launch a military attack against Kurdish-forces in northern Syria.

According to the United Nations (UN) - a group of countries working together to try to bring peace - at least 6.2 million ordinary people have had to leave their homes inside Syria, while another 5.6 million have left to go abroad.

Why did the fighting in Syria first begin?

Even before the conflict began in Syria, many Syrians were complaining about high unemployment, officials not behaving as they should do, and a lack of political freedom under their President Bashar al-Assad.

However, the event which caused the situation to develop into a full-blown civil war dates back to 2011, to the Syrian city of Deraa.

Local people decided to protest after 15 school children were arrested - and reportedly tortured - for writing anti-government graffiti on a wall.

The protests were peaceful to begin with, calling for the release of the children, democracy and greater freedom for people in the country.

The government responded angrily and, on 18 March 2011, the army opened fire on protesters, killing four people. The following day, they shot at mourners at the victims' funerals, killing another person.

People were shocked and angry at what had happened and soon the unrest spread to other parts of the country.

At first, the protesters just wanted democracy and greater freedom.

But after government forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrations, people demanded that President Bashar al-Assad resign. However, he refused to do this which made the protesters extremely angry.

President Assad still had a lot of people in Syria that supported him and his government, so they began to fight against people who were against the government.

In July 2012, the International Red Cross said the violence in Syria had become so widespread that it was in a state of civil war.

Who are the rebel fighters?

There isn't one single group of people fighting against President Assad and the government's army.

The group who want the president to step down - called the opposition - is made up of several kinds of people. These include groups of rebel fighters, political parties who disagree with Assad, and those living in exile who cannot return to the country.

When the conflict began, it was thought that there could have been as many as 1,000 different groups opposing the government since the conflict began, with an estimated 100,000 fighters.

Right now there are a handful of groups remaining and the number of fighters has reduced as well.

How did Islamic State become involved?

It wasn't long before the crisis in Syria became more than just a war between people who are for or against President Assad.

In 2011, the group calling Islamic State (IS) joined the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, where it found a safe haven and easy access to weapons.

IS is a militant group with extreme, violent views, which has used this violence against anyone who doesn't agree with what they think. They have also persecuted other groups, including Christians and Yazidis.

In 2014, the group began to take over large areas of a country called Iraq, next door to Syria. Then, they moved into eastern Syria and - in the chaos of the war - they were able to gain land and power there too.

Raqqa was the first big city captured by IS in Syria in early 2014. The group went on take over large parts of the country towards Aleppo in the north, and along the Turkish border.

Both Assad's forces and the rebels were fighting a separate battle against IS at the same time as fighting each other.

To try to stop IS, in September 2014 the US used planes to attack IS fighters in Iraq. These attacks are known as airstrikes.

Just over a year later, UK MPs voted in favour of military action against IS in Syria too. The first airstrikes were carried out by RAF Tornado jets within hours of the vote in the House of Commons.

Towards the end of 2017, Syrian Kurdish and Arab fighters joined together - backed by America - to take back the city of Raqqa in the north-west. This ended three years of rule by IS which had made Raqqa its headquarters.

Following this, Syrian state TV - controlled by President Assad's government - said the Syrian army had retaken the city of Deir al-Zour, the largest city in eastern Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, said government forces had taken control of the city after weeks of fighting.

This was a big stronghold of IS in Syria, which showed how much IS had lost the control it once had. The city had been very important to IS because it is close to the border with Iraq.

But there was still some disagreement over whether IS had been cleared from the area completely. Syrian state TV reported that the city was completely free from terrorism, while other reports said the Syrian army and its allies were still clearing IS fighters from the area.

In March 2019, the US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria declared military victory over IS. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (a group largely made up of Kurdish fighters) gained control of the town Baghuz, which was the final stronghold of IS.

This was a major moment in the fight against IS. At the group's most powerful, they controlled 34,000 square miles of land - approximately the size of the UK - stretching across Syria and Iraq.

Now, IS occupy a few hundred square metres near Syria's border with Iraq.

There are still concerns about IS though, as it is thought that some of its fighters are still operating in hiding.

Also, some believe that Turkey's recent invasion of north-east Syria risks the revival of the Islamic State group.

What has been the impact of the war on people living in Syria?

Millions of ordinary people living in Syria have had to escape from their homes to find somewhere safer to live.

According to the United Nations (UN), a group that works to try to solve some of the world's problems, more than five million Syrians have had to leave the country. Many have gone to neighbouring countries, like Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey or Iraq.

More than six million more people have tried to find safety elsewhere in Syria.

Turkey is the largest host country of registered refugees with over 3.6 million Syrian refugees living in the country.

By December 2018 the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights recorded that 367,965 people had lost their lives, including more than 120,000 ordinary people who aren't even soldiers or meant to be involved in the fighting. This figure doesn't include people who are missing or who aren't recorded though, so the actual number is thought to be much higher.

By February 2019, some 13 million people were estimated to be in need of humanitarian assistance, including 5.2 million in desperate need.

Lots of children can no longer go to school because their schools have been destroyed or there are no teachers where they have moved to.

When people are forced to leave the country where they live like this, they become known as refugees. The conflict in Syria has caused one of the largest refugee movements in recent history.

Many refugees made the decision to try to reach Europe. This is because some countries in Europe said they would accept refugees who wanted to start a new life here.

Millions of people both inside and outside Syria are in desperate need of help, but aid agencies say that getting help to people inside the country is very difficult and dangerous.

What else do we need to know about this war?

One other topic that has been talked about a lot is the use of chemical weapons.

There is an international law which bans countries from using chemical weapons in wars, as they are deemed too cruel to use on other people.

However, in August 2013, it was reported that they were used in the war in Syria, which caused anger around the world. Both the rebels and the Syrian government denied that they were responsible.

MPs in Westminster voted against responding to this with military action in Syria. But the US and French governments discussed limited missile strikes against military targets.

In September 2013, Russia and the US reached an agreement which said the Syrian government should give up its chemical weapons and destroy them so they can never again be used. This was important as Russia and the US support different sides in the Syrian war.

The process of destroying the weapons began in October 2013 and the people working on this project were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize later that month.

In April 2017, there was reportedly another chemical weapons attack on a town in north-west Syria, which killed and injured many people.

At the time, many weapons experts, the UK and other countries, and US President Donald Trump said President Assad's government was to blame for the attack.

But the Syrian President said he didn't do it and Russia, which supports him, said it was the result of aircraft hitting chemical weapons on the ground, which belonged to the rebels.

The US responded with military action by carrying out missile attacks on Syria, which the UK said it supported.

Another suspected chemical weapons attack took place in Douma in April 2018. Again experts blamed the Syrian government for what happened but both they and Russia said they didn't do it.

That led to most recent air strikes by the UK, the USA and France against what they said are Syrian government chemical weapons factories.

So what next for Syria?

It doesn't look like the fighting is likely to end any time soon, as there is still a big power struggle going on in the region.

There is a stalemate between the two sides. This means that the government forces and the rebel groups are unable to defeat each other or agree on the future.

And now Turkey has begun military action in the north of the country, causing more people to flee their homes.

Turkey's president Tayyip Erdogan has said he will "never declare a ceasefire" which would end the military action against Kurdish forces in northern Syria.

Turkey wants to push these forces away from Syria's border area.

The country is being destroyed by the conflict, including a lot of its rich cultural heritage. All six of the country's six Unesco World Heritage sites have been significantly damaged.

Lots of countries are trying to continue to supply aid, such as food and emergency supplies. But it is difficult when almost 3 million Syrians live in areas which are very difficult for aid workers to get to.

The rest of the world will continue to try to work out if there is a way to help Syria achieve peace. But for the time being, the conflict continues.
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What's happening in Syria? - CBBC Newsround

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There's been a civil war in Syria for the last eight years, with different groups trying to seize control of the country.

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Six years of brutal conflict and unspeakable atrocities have left some of Syria's children desperately wishing for their own deaths, according to a heartbreaking new report from Save the Children. Many are living in a constant state of fear and "toxic stress," the humanitarian group warns.

The war has killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians and displaced more than half the country's population, with no end to the carnage in sight. Some 13.5 million people in Syria, including 5.8 million children, are currently in need of aid.

At least 3 million children have been born into the conflict, and those who remain in Syria are extremely vulnerable to immense psychological damage, increasing their longterm risks of self-harm, drug abuse and suicide, the report says.

" Invisible Wounds " documents a worsening mental health crisis among boys and girls trapped inside the war-torn country. Save the Children worked with its partners to interview hundreds of civilians to understand the scope of the tragedy, and the findings were devastating.

Many of Syria's children have seen their families torn apart, and witnessed loved ones suffer and die before their eyes. Two-thirds have been injured or had their homes hit by attacks. More than half are using drugs to help cope with the stress of living in a war zone, and nearly three-quarters have shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

If left untreated, these conditions can have irreversible effects on the mental and physical health of an entire generation of children, the report notes.

"The children we spoke with in Syria are terrified to play outside, afraid to go to school, and soiling themselves when they hear a loud noise," said Save the Children President and CEO Carolyn Miles. "We can end the toxic stress many children are suffering by stopping the bombardment of civilian areas and reaching everyone with lifesaving aid and psychological support."

Children who were interviewed described persistent feelings of anger, anxiety, depression and terror.

"My parents are not here because I have already lost them," said one teenager in Aleppo. "I am alone because everyone is dying."

A teacher in Madaya said children "wish they were hit by a sniper" and killed.

"Children wish they were dead and that they would go to heaven [to] be warm and eat and play," she said.

Syrian girls and boys have been starved, robbed of their childhoods and deprived of a proper education, the report explains. Thousands of schools have been bombed out of use, and hundreds of thousands of education professionals have fled the country. Some parents fear that sending their kids to school is too dangerous. Almost one-third of school-aged children in the country are not in school.

Alexandra Chen, a child protection and mental health specialist based at Harvard University, warns that the detrimental impacts of the war may outlast the conflict itself.

"Extreme adversity in early childhood can hamper children's healthy development and their ability to function fully, even once the violence has ceased," she said. "The slow grind of toxic stress can disrupt the development of the brain and other organs, and increase the risk of stress-related diseases, heart disease, diabetes, immune system problems, substance abuse, depression, and other mental health disorders into adulthood."

But all is not lost, the report says; Syrian children are "incredibly resilient," and continue to cling to their hopes and dreams for a better future. They stand to benefit tremendously from psychosocial support, but resources are currently extremely limited.

Save the Children has issued an urgent plea for warring parties to immediately halt all forms of violence against civilians, and for members of the international community to increase funding for programs that support children's mental health.
To support crisis-afflicted Syrians, see The WorldPost's list of ways you can help. You can also donate to charities working in Syria.

BEFORE YOU GO

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Syria's Children Are Mentally And Emotionally Shattered From Years Of War

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Six years of brutal conflict and unspeakable atrocities have left some of Syria's children desperately wishing for their own deaths, according to a heartbreaking new report from Save the Children. Many are living in a constant state of fear and "toxic stress," the humanitarian group warns.

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Education Crisisin Syria Despite strong results from UNICEF and partner efforts to deliver education support and services, a lot more needs to be done.A look at Syria's education crisis, and

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Overview of the Current Educational Situation in Syria 

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Overview of the Current Educational Situation in Syria 

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Literacy rate: 83%

2.8 millions children have been out of school between 2011- 2018

2 out 5 schools in Syria cannot be used because they have been damaged, destroyed, sheltering displaced families or being used for military purposes

40% of children ages 15 to 17 are out of school, elevating risk of early marriage, child labor and other forms of exploitation and abuse

Neglect and under-stimulation of children affected by conflict can lead to severe impairments in the child's development, creating a lasting legacy of war.

Many of Syria’s children have seen their families torn apart, and witnessed loved ones suffer and die before their eyes. Two-thirds have been injured or had their homes hit by attacks. More than half are using drugs to help cope with the stress of living in a war zone, and nearly three-quarters have shown signs of post-traumatic stress disorder.

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For the past eight years Syria has been experiencing a civil war, as different fighting groups have fought to seize control of the country. This has been between soldiers who support the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and fighters known as rebels, who are against this regime. The opposition is made of several subsidiary groups including rebel fighters, political parties, and Islamic State

Concerns regarding high unemployment, misbehaviour of officials and a neglect of political freedom under President Basar al-Assad occurred even before the conflict began. However, the event which catalysed the civil war situation was the arrest of 15 school children, who were reportedly tortured, for anti-government vandalism. Peaceful protests began to free the children, and support democracy and greater freedom. These demonstrations escalated quickly after the government’s aggressive response on 18 March 2011 when the army opened fire on protestors

Protestors have campaigned for the resignation of President Assad. This has been very difficult, especially considering the government’s tightly controlled and repressive political structure where they have authority over how information is transmitted to the public- Syrian state TV is controlled by the government.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/16979186

As of 1 November 2018, Freedom House acknowledged Syria as having an internet status as ‘not free,’ where there are heavy restrictions on internet freedom. One key factor highlighted to support this status is the 32% internet penetration (indicating the number of people who use the internet in regards to the country’s respective demographic information.)

It is noted that content surrounding political and social issues are blocked, and those who use the internet, in what is deemed an inappropriate way, can be arrested. Many are persecuted if they misuse the internet as seen in the example of digital activist Bassel Khartabil Safadi. His democratic activism was the cause of his detainment in 2012, and it was later revealed in 2017 that his execution in 2015 was conducted by the regime’s security forces.

There has been positive progress between June 1, 2017, and May 31, 2018, where internet access became more affordable and accessible as more websites were unblocked, including Wikipedia, WordPress blogging platform and numerous regional and Lebanese media websites.

However, there continue to be obstacles in accessing the internet as Syria’s telecommunication infrastructure and the broadband connection are the least developed considering the difficulty and costly nature of accessing it. Due to the civil war, and bombings that encompasses it,  there are many electricity outages, and the communications infrastructure is the weakest in areas where the government does not have control over. Moreover, there are many internet shutdowns by the government.

https://www.refworld.org/docid/5be16af6116.html

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The SAG-AFTRA Foundation's Daytime Emmy nominated, Storyline Online, features celebrated actors including Viola Davis, Kristen Bell, Chris Pine, Lily Tomlin, Wanda Sykes, Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Betty White and more reading children's books to inspire a love of reading in millions of children worldwide.

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Delivering connectivity from balloons flying 20 km up in the stratosphere poses a unique set of engineering challenges. To expand connectivity to unserved and underserved areas around the world, Loon combines advancements in materials science, atmospheric modeling, machine learning, communications systems, and more.

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Delivering connectivity from balloons flying 20 km up in the stratosphere poses a unique set of engineering challenges. To expand connectivity to unserved and underserved areas around the world, Loon combines advancements in materials science, atmospheric modeling, machine learning, communications systems, and more.

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The ongoing conflict has severely affected the educational system in Syria. Lack of human, financial and educational resources and materials has further contributed to this dire situation.  Poor or no internet connection, high costs of bandwidth and state censorship present challenging conditions for principles and practices of freedom of access to the internet. Access to the worldwide internet will provide young aspiring students with opportunities to further their education. This will assist them by providing entrepreneurship training to find jobs, thus they can receive the necessary training to find employment, to launch their own businesses and to embark on an entrepreneurial path. By implementing this project, the Syrian students can aspire for a brighter future where they can reach emotional and financial independence moreover through education and training they can contribute to the future of Syria by rebuilding its economy.

Education is a basic human right, it gives hope, resilience and will eventually sustain communities as well as protecting the children and young adults against discrimination in the society, yet there is no mention of the tertiary education and the future of children and young adults by the humanitarian organizations in syria. When Syria eventually stabilizes, it will need skilled and educated young adults to rebuild their country physically, intellectually and emotionally. As a consequence of the ongoing conflict in Syria, many libraries and laboratories have been destroyed, access to online materials have been more challenging than before and as a result, students cannot easily access the necessary educational materials.

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"We strive to support dependable learning environments for independent learners regardless of age or gender"