North Korea bans social media use by foreigners

USPA News - Diplomats and other foreign visitors to North Korea will no longer be allowed to use social networking websites Facebook and Twitter during their stay, a Russian correspondent reported on Friday, just months after the reclusive state banned the use of WiFi networks. A correspondent working for Russian news agency TASS said North Korean authorities had decided to impose a blanket ban on all access to Facebook and Twitter, which was mainly being used by diplomats and international humanitarian organizations in the capital Pyongyang.

It is unclear what prompted the ban. Ordinary North Korean citizens do not have access to the internet but instead may access Kwangmyong, which is a national network that provides government-approved information, such as content from the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). Only a small number of people - such as senior officials and other people in power - are able to use the internet. "The news, if confirmed, is further evidence that the North Korean government is getting uneasy about the relative ease with which information is now flowing out of the country through foreigners," Martyn Williams, of the North Korea Tech website, told NK News. "What`s unclear is whether the ban affects just the cellular network or is a wider ban on any access, no matter what the connection." The news comes just over two months after North Korea banned the use of WiFi networks by foreigners, citing national security.