The bill is to treat social media accounts with more than 5000 followers as media outlets. Essentially, accounts and profiles like that will now be regulated by the Supreme Council for the Administration of the Media (SCAM) and be subject to new media laws that criminalize the spread of fake news. The body also has the power to block websites and file criminal complaints against those spreading or defaming individuals and religions.
This isn’t new for Egypt. In 2015, the country passed legislation that made it a crime to publish or share news that went against the government’s official statements.
