Social Media Blocked in Algeria over Exam Cheat Claims

Sky News

It was only earlier this month that dozens of people were arrested over leaked exams in Algeria after they'd been posted on Facebook and other social media sites. Students were then looking at these exams and failing because of it. Now thousands of high school students are having to resit their exams next Saturday and social media has been temporarily banned in preparation.

Social media being used to assist cheaters is hardly a surprise. Even on a smaller scale it makes everything easier as you're not going to possibly be holding the sheets of paper with the answers on around school where you might be caught with it. Online means you can just check it at home and that it's easier to sneak a peek before exams in school, provided you don't get caught with your phone. This could be a problem in theory, but in reality, it's not something you hear of very much. Just because something is possible doesn't mean that people will actually go through with it. Of course, now it has happened all bets are off and that's why a ban is in place.

This blockage is going to last for a long time though and it's unfair to users who aren't students or just weren't the students that cheated. Everyone in the entire country is being made to take a break from social media because a few people have cheated on exams. Many people use social media to help organise things and this could make it more difficult if they don't have another form of contact with the person. Some people might say it's only a week, but that can still have a detrimental effect on some people's plans, jobs and courses. As well as the social media services being blocked, on Sunday, their 3G mobile network service was also disrupted which could make it difficult to do even more when out and about in public.

This whole thing is a bit of a mess, but one that will hopefully go by quickly. People are reliant on social media and it isn't just the teenagers who will be suffering. This is one country having to ban social media due to teenagers using it to cheat and in the future this might wind up happening in more countries and that's something that nobody needs.

Social media and mobile networks will definitely be back in place by Sunday and hopefully, everything in Algeria will go back to normal.

Rosina Brooker

Rosina is a Songbird writer with a degree in Creative Writing. She's trying to focus on her novel on the side but is glad to be playing around with apps and writing about them in the mean time! Follow her @Songbird_Rosina

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