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Algeria blocks social media access following exam paper leak
Following the leak of baccalaureate examination papers on social media, Algeria has temporarily blocked access to Facebook and Twitter and cut off 3G mobile network services.
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In addition to good grades, honesty is very important during national exams. (Shutterstock/-)
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ollowing the leak of baccalaureate examination papers on social media, Algeria has temporarily blocked access to Facebook and Twitter and cut off 3G mobile network services. In addition, 550,177 students in North Africa are required to partially retake their baccalaureate exams on June 19-22.
“All measures have been taken to ensure the smooth running of the exams, in collaboration with other sectors concerned, namely the National Police, National Gendarmerie, civil protection and health authorities," an official from the country's National Education Ministry, Nouria Benghebrit, said as quoted by Al Jazeera.
(Read also: High-tech steps to curb cheating in college entrance exam)
Algerian authorities have reportedly arrested dozens of personnel, including those working in national education offices and printing companies, in the investigation. The police said cybercrime investigators had identified individuals who released exam materials online, as well as facilitators of the crime, according to techtimes.com.
Algeria is not the first country to experience such issues, or implement such measures in response. Just a month ago, Iraqi officials blocked internet access nationwide to prevent students from accessing leaked exam answers.
Chinese authorities have also implemented extremely high-tech security checkpoints to curb cheating in their national Gao Kao 12th grade examinations, including facial recognition, fingerprint verification, metal detectors, as well as radio-shielded rooms and drone supervision to intercept radio signals around test sites. More recently on Sunday, Egypt arrested a student who administered three Facebook pages that had leaked school exam papers. (sab/kes)
