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But it is not only oppositional websites that gothacked. In 2011, a major governmental website washacked for political reasons by elements in exilecalling for the secession of south Yemen from thenorth. The attack on the website was possible afterhacking the email account of its manager, who requestedto stay anonymous. Thereafter, the hackertook over the whole domain by changing the nameserver settings on the GoDaddy domain registrar.While it was possible to fix the domain configurationafter reclaiming the email address, the incidenthighlights the level of sophistication and extent ofthe cyber warfare that went on during that turbulentperiod of Yemen’s recent history.While it would be expected that such incidentswould subside after the transfer of power in 2012,in reality, such cases not only continued, but alsoincreased in depth and breadth. One of the most severeattacks 6 targeting several websites happenedin April 2014 when at least six news websites werehacked all at once in what appeared to be a plannedsystematic attack. While it was not evident whowas behind it, website owners accused the Yemeniauthorities.Much of the talk about who is behind the hackingand malicious attacks remains speculationdue to the lack of technical documentation and research.Given that hacking tools and know-how areaccessible globally by anyone willing to invest timeand energy to find them, it is likely that differentpolitical rivals were involved in attacks and counterattacksfor various motives. Prior to the Arab Spring,however, it was evident that the government wasmore pervasive in attacking activists and onlinejournalists. When the power transfer deal went intoforce in 2012, it was hoped that those attacks wouldsubside. However, it was later found that attacks resumed,but this time, they seem to have come fromdifferent players.In June 2014, a Yemeni media report 7 identifiedsigns that surveillance and wiretapping will resumebut now under the guidance of the new president,and will target dozens of journalists, activists andmilitary leaders. According to the report, the fearednational security apparatus will be used by JalalHadi, who is the son of the new president, to trackand monitor phone calls and activities of those whocould be a “threat to the transitional period.”6 Read an Arabic story about those attacks at: www.sanaapress.net/news9376.html7 Read the Arabic story at: marebpress.net/mobile/news_details.php?sid=100613ConclusionWhile Yemen remains one of the countries with thelowest internet penetration levels, it has had itsshare of troubles when it comes to surveillance, privacy,security and human rights on the internet. Thefew incidents described above present examplesof violations that ranged from threats to bloggersand cyber activists to website filtering and hackingattacks. They constitute a major concern to humanrights advocates who argue that free speechon the internet needs to be defended vehemently,particularly during this critical period for Yemen:a country undergoing massive political and socialtransformations.One of the major challenges noted was the lackof sufficient skills on the part of users of the technologyto keep their transactions safer and theirwebsites and accounts protected. The need to addressthis challenge is pressing given the growth ininternet usage the country is expected to witness. Itis also important given that the political transitionwill require the free flow of information and ideas tocontribute to the various new developments, fromelections to new forms of cyber dissent.The lack of legal frameworks to protect freedomof expression and privacy is another majorconcern because the status quo gives authoritiesa free hand to practice online restrictions onfree speech. The revolution that emerged in 2011and led to the downfall of Saleh’s presidency hadthe promotion of free speech and access to informationamong its main goals. As a result, anydeterioration in that respect would carry with it agreat deal of disappointment, particularly after somany lives were sacrificed to achieve the desiredpolitical change.Unfortunately, however, Yemen faces numerouschallenges ranging from poverty to securityand from water shortages to power outages. Thosechallenges have used up most of the energy of thegovernment, private sector and even civil society,who have given human rights on the internet aback seat in favour of other more pressing issues.Nonetheless, there remains hope in bringing theviolations against online journalists and activiststo the forefront, particularly with the rise in socialmedia use and after the launch of the Internet SocietyYemen Chapter, whose goals include protectingsecurity, privacy and freedom of expression on theinternet. The chapter’s role could be significantlyimportant given that improving human rights andfreedom of expression helps stability, and stabilityin this part of the world is crucial for the fightagainst terrorism and for protecting the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, through which most of the world’soil passes.These challenges facing Yemen were also mentionedin the Arab Internet Governance Forums (IGF)in 2012 and 2013 in Kuwait and Algiers respectively,and these were useful to compare experiences withother countries in the region and learn as the countrymoves forward.The threats that Yemeni internet users are facingare but a reflection of the risks that are associatedwith using the internet at large. Discussions at theIGF and efforts undertaken by international bodiessuch as ICANN and global software platformsto provide more secure services, better regulatorymodels and more human rights-conscious policies,will all have a positive impact on Yemen as well.Action stepsFor Yemen to confront the challenges described earlier,it is important to address the issues based onthe particular subjects in question.Firstly, the low internet penetration level inYemen is a hindrance because it deprives the populationof taking advantage of the enormous benefitsthat the internet has to offer. It also limits the numberof people with enough skills and know-how toprovide training and develop solutions that couldtackle issues that are of a technical nature, such assecuring accounts, tracking attacks, etc. To addressthis, the government’s monopoly over the ISP businessshould end, and the private sector needs to beable to provide adequate, secure and competitiveservices to reduce the cost and increase accessibility,particularly in remote areas.When it comes to acts of surveillance, civilsociety needs to do more systematic research toidentify how surveillance is being carried out. Asof mid-2014, reports of digital surveillance remainspeculative and lack empirical evidence to back anyclaims. Researchers in Yemen, perhaps in collaborationwith international donors and institutes, couldwork together in tracking and identifying cases ofdigital surveillance and suggest solutions.Finally, there will be a need for advocacy groupsto coordinate their actions, hold discussions withdifferent stakeholders, and suggest policies to limitabuse of power, whether by the government or anyother party. For this to be done, it will be necessaryto engage more with international and regionalactors in this area and pull resources to launch systematicand long-term campaigns and projects thatcould put the issue of human rights on the internetat the forefront.278 / Global Information Society Watch yemen / 279