Facebook Admin Released After Leaking Documents Alleging State Interference in VoIP Services

Ahmed AbdelNabi, one of the admins of the popular Internet Revolution Egypt Facebook page, was arrested from his home on Friday by National Security forces, after allegedly leaking documents concerning the state's alleged interference with VoIP services. According to Mada Masr, Abdelnabi has since been released with bail bond of EGP 1,000.

The arrest came only a few hours after the Facebook page published documents by the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority's alleging plans to block VoIP calls. One of the documents published was a study allegedly conducted by NTRA detailing the plan to block VoIP calls as well as another case study conducted in UAE, who have already blocked VoIP by making the use of VPNs illegal. The rest of the documents released appear to be alleged notes taken during an NTRA meeting discussing the difficulties of controlling VPN services, which could be used to get around the block.

For weeks, Egyptians have taken to social media claiming that the VoIP services are being monitored and blocked. As rumours began to spread over social media that video call apps like FaceTime were no longer working, Egypt's National Telecom Regulatory Authority responded over twitter denying that they were the cause of the disruption.

لا صحة لما يتداوله البعض حول إيقاف خدمة VOIP# عن بعض التطبيقات التي تعمل بهذه التقنيه
وقد أكد الجهاز في أكثر من مناسبة عدم صحة هذه الاخبار.

— جهاز تنظيم الاتصالات (@NTRAEgyofficial) April 21, 2017

The Facebook page has garnered over a million followers since launching. For years the page has been critical of telecommunication companies and state communication policies as well as pressuring for cheaper and faster internet for Egyptians. 

As it stands, the Facebook page is yet to release any further information about the arrest and subsequent release.