Till the end of 2002, Internet use in Iraq was limited to those who could afford it. In 2002, the number of Internet users amongst Iraq's total population of 24 million people was only 45,000. Many of these users were state officials. The others were those who could afford to pay 2,000 Iraqi dinars (the equivalent of $1) per hour, approximately 20% of the average Iraqi's salary.

Better Late Than Never

      The Internet in Iraq dates back to 1998, when the government formed The General Company of Internet and Information Services. This company provided Internet access to a people who were almost completely isolated from the world by their country's lack of media and communications ability. Internet access did not actually become available to Iraqis citizens until 2000, and when the government finally made access generally available, it did so in an extremely limited fashion.

      Until the end of 1999, the Iraqi government prohibited the unauthorized use of modems, a piece of equipment required to establish an Internet connection. Due to the sanctions imposed on Iraq and the weakness of the communications network, there were scarce quantities of available personal computers and high prices (about 450 dollars) for the few that were available.

      The Iraqi authorities created a unique system of Internet use. In the 65 Internet centers (the Iraqi name for net cafes) there were no limits to the government's powers of censorship.
Iraqi users were permitted to access only an extremely limited number of web pages. Users did not have to free Internet e-mail services as the government had blocked access to all the e-mail service providers so as to grant the General Company of Internet and Information Services (GCIIS) a monopoly.
Saad Hady has stated that "a subscription to these e-mail services was very different from a subscription to those available on the Internet. In order to send or receive an e-mail to or from the outside world, the message had to go through two local channels (Orouk and Woraka) which were supervised by the censorship department. It was not uncommon for a recipient to receive a message dated three days previously because its words had been examined and scrutinized to reveal what they hid and what they showed." (1)

      The Internet users who could afford a computer could obtain a governmental e-mail service for 100,000 Iraqi dinars per year (equal to $50). Or they could pay $750 annually for the direct Internet connection provided only by the GCIIS and have all the options of the service. In the Internet centers, users had to pay 200 dinars for every e-mail sent. Before this email could be sent, it had to be reviewed by an official at the Internet censorship department.

Wealth, Connections, and Looks: The Features of the Iraqi Internet User

      Before the occupation, Iraqi citizens had to accept many restrictions and conditions in order to use the Internet. As previously mentioned, they had to have the financial means. Moreover, they had to complete and sign an Internet subscription application which stated: "the subscription applicant must report any hostile website seen on the Internet, even if it was seen by chance. The applicants must not copy or print any literature or photos that go against state policy or relate to the regime. Special inspectors teams must be allowed to search the applicant's place of residence to examine any files saved on the applicant's personal computer." (2)

      Visitors to Iraq's Internet centers had to comply with the unjust conditions set upon Internet use. Furthermore, before a visitor could use the Internet center, they had to be interrogated by those running the center about the web pages they intended to surf. When using a computer, visitors had to turn the monitor towards the center's door and were prohibited from deleting the history that records the web pages they accessed. If a visitor wanted to download and save something to a floppy, they had to use a floppy bought from the center itself.

     If visitors were actually allowed to use the Internet after agreeing to these conditions, they typically found themselves presented with either Saddam Hussein's picture (which was on the majority of the permitted web pages) or an large "X," informing them that the web page was banned in Iraq. This was, of course, only if they were allowed to user the Internet: those in charge of the centers could arbitrarily bar visitors from using a connection if they did know the visitor or if they didn't like the way the visitor looked. Authorities could decide that someone had no reason to use the Internet and order them to return home.

      In universities and institutions with Internet centers, those in charge intercepted and carefully reviewed any e-mails sent to students before allowing them to be delivered. They were also responsible for reading e-mails students intend to send before they were sent. This process, which occurred in addition to a similar censorship process in a central governmental department, added to the delay in message arrival. (3)

      Due to the many prohibitions and conditions set in place by the former Iraqi regime, Iraq was ranked 17th or 18th amongst the Arab states in the efficiency of its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector. The efficiency of the ICT sector is measured by the number of the personal computers, Internet users, land phone lines, and cellular phones in a certain country. (4)

The Solution: Go North

      Though the former Iraqi regime thrust freedoms of expression and circulation of information into darkness, Iraqi users did have another way to access the Internet. Many turned to the cities of the northern province, Kurdistan, to access the web pages they desired for prices similar to those in Iraq. 10% of visitors to the Internet centers in Kurdistan were from areas under the central Iraqi authority. Iraqi youth visited Kurdistan in groups to use the Internet centers, freely surf the Internet, and contact whomever they liked, free from government monitoring. (5)

      Due to the current chaos and disorder in which Iraqis live, it is too early to state that the occupation has brought about the freedom of Internet use and the absence of censorship. The disorder, the bloody conflict, and the preoccupation of forces in Iraq with the country's reorganization has given many Internet centers an opportunity to thrive and has led to a growth in the number of Internet users. In addition, prices have started to decrease, though they still continue to remain quite close to the previous levels.

      Though Iraq's state of disorder has opened up a space of freedom, it has also produced serious fears. Living conditions continue to deteriorate. Owners of Internet centers close their stores at night out of fear-fear of both the occupying forces and those of the resistance.

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Footnotes
1- Qantara web site, 14/02/02, Acccessed on 28/04/04,
http://www.qantara.de/webcom/show_article.php/_c-499/_nr-10/_p-1/i.html
2- Ibid.,
3- "Internet in Iraq," study by Hameed Al-Hashemy, Iraq Press web site, 13/02/02, accessed on 01/04/04 http://www.iraqpress.org/arabic.asp?fname=iparabic%5c109r.htm
4- ESCWA press releases for the year 2003, 11/12/03, accessed on 16/03/04
http://www.escwa.org.lb/arabic/information/press/escwa/2003/dec/11_2.html
5- Iraqi Research Center, 29/04/04, visited on 01/05/04
http://www.al-montada.com/irc/m2/2002-04-29/9.htm