CAIRO, June 3 (KUNA) -- Egyptian Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim denied Monday evening accusations of the state interfering with people's liberty and freedom of expression on social networks such as twitter and facebook.
The Minister's statement came after media leaked reports on the new social networks monitoring system designed by the Egyptian Interior Ministry. The government will not tolerate interfering in people's lives, as was the case before the January 25 revolution, he told Al-Ahram newspaper.
Using the new monitoring system aims to safeguard Egypt's security, not violate citizens' privacy, he noted. Egyptians are aware of the fact that the government is on their side, not against them, the minister added.
The new system will only monitor accounts associated with serious security problems such as terrorism, explosive manufacturing, and assassination attempts, the minister said, adding that police were able to arrest 240 people involved in acts of violence.
The minister also stressed that the government aims to monitor social media platforms and accounts used for criminal activity and spreading "destructive ideas" including extremism, insulting religions, and anti-state notions.(end) rg.ag