CAIRO — The Egyptian Administrative Court rejected a lawsuit Aug. 25 that called to block the social networking website Facebook in Egypt, but an appeal could be in the works.
Activists on Facebook had been voicing their concerns over the lawsuit since lawyer Mahmoud Goueily filed it on May 31, 2014. The activists see Facebook as an avenue of freedom and a tool to discuss political issues in Egypt.
Goueily filed the lawsuit against Prime Minister Ibrahim Mehleb and Telecommunications Minister Khaled Najem. He called on the court to block Facebook on the grounds that the site allows people to impersonate state figures in the absence of the slightest controls, helps spread immorality and rumors, and perpetuates false news that can support terrorist offenses.
The lawsuit is not the only one of its kind in Egypt. In November 2014, lawyer Mohammed Hamed Salem filed a similar lawsuit and called on the government to block Facebook and Twitter, charging they are used to incite violence and aid terrorists in planning attacks against the people and the Egyptian state.
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