Cambodia’s internet gateway debut leaves analysts in the dark
Just days before Cambodia’s national internet gateway is scheduled to take effect, analysts and civil society organisations say they know scarcely more about its rollout than when the decree was first signed into law last year.
The gateway is slated to route all internet traffic through a state-run portal starting as soon as 16 February. Billed by prime minister Hun Sen’s ruling Cambodian People’s Party as necessary for ‘national security,’ international watchdogs and internet freedom groups decry the project as a potential disaster for internet users.
By regulating traffic through a centralised system, the government has the potential to block websites en masse, monitor activity and even shut off access during critical moments such as elections.
FIONA KELLIHER
