Iraq Orders Complete Internet Shutdown in 5 Provinces

As Iraq's government struggles to contain the al-Qaeda-inspired militants sweeping the north of the country, it is taking the fight to cyberspace.

Iraq's Ministry of Communications has ordered the country's Internet service providers to shut down Internet access completely in five different regions, according to a letter sent to the ISPs on Sunday and later leaked online. This the government's latest attempt to contain the militant group's use of the Internet and social media for propaganda and recruitment purposes.

The militant group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), posted graphic photos on its website on Sunday that appeared to show the massacre of dozens of captured Iraqi soldiers wearing plainclothes. It wasn't clear whether the government's directive was in response to those photos. Read more...