It began as a whisper—some users struggling to access Zawia3. At first, the complaints were scattered, but a pattern emerged: Vodafone was the first to block us, followed by other networks. Some shut the door completely, others left it ajar, allowing access sporadically before abruptly cutting it off. This was no coincidence.
On February 15, the blocking began. We investigated, ruled out technical faults, and consulted independent experts. Then, on February 19, came confirmation: Zawia3 had been officially blocked in Egypt. Not due to a malfunction, but by an unknown entity that deemed our presence undesirable.
How Does Website Blocking Work? And Why Can Some Still Access It?
Blocking a website is not as simple as flipping a switch; it is imposed through varying methods, some of which seem hesitant or inconsistently applied.
This block was executed using the “Reset Attack”, a method that doesn’t fully ban the website but disrupts connections when users attempt to access it. Like an unseen hand intervening—letting the attempt begin before abruptly severing it. This makes access unpredictable: possible for some, impossible for others. It may seem random, but it is by design.
Who Decides What the Public Can Access?
What compels an entity to block a journalistic platform? What danger is there in offering multiple perspectives? What threat is posed by accuracy, scrutiny, and independence?
We are not the first to be blocked, nor the last. The list of blocked websites in Egypt is long, often with no clear political alignment—only a shared fate: someone, somewhere, decided the public should not access them.
Blocking a website is not merely a technical restriction; it is a decision about access to information, an attempt to shape what can be read, what can be known, and what people are allowed to question.
We Are Here, and We Will Remain
Journalism is not a privilege granted by authority, nor a voice that can be silenced by shutting down a website. Our work is built on accuracy, verification, and independence—values that cannot be blocked.
Our readers deserve quality journalism, journalism that is worth reading and worth respecting. We will continue—through alternative domains, new platforms, and any means necessary—to do our work as it should be done.
If some see website blocking as an end, we see it as a beginning—a broader struggle for the right to access information, the freedom of the press, and the independence of truth from those who seek to control it.
