As more people go online, North Korea blocks Facebook and Twitter

Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital. Photo credit: Matt Paish

North Korea has this week moved to block Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a slew of other websites, reports AP’s Pyongyang bureau chief.

Most people in North Korea have little access to technology, and the few who do are only permitted to use an intranet created by the government. Not many citizens have access to the global internet; it is mostly confined to the country’s universities and to Party elites living in major cities. It had previously been mostly uncensored, though some sites were blocked periodically.

The announcement was made by the DPRK’s Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. It named YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Voice of America, and South Korean media sites as websites that should be blocked “for a certain period of time.” It’s unclear how many North Koreans have access to the internet on either computers or a smartphone connected to the nation’s 3G network.

See: Tech in North Korea: Getting online in the world’s most isolated country

In 2013, North Korea permitted foreign tourists to buy 3G SIM cards for use during their closely-monitored visits.

Instagram, which is widely used by tourists visiting the country, is not blocked. Like in mainland China, tourists (and the few internet-connected locals) will need to use a proxy or VPN service to access the blocked sites.

But North Korea’s internet is still freer than China’s.

Source: AP