Syria was relatively late in opening internet access to the public. An internet connection was established in the country by 1997, but for years Syria was the only connected Middle Eastern country that did not allow general public access Hrw. In the late 1990s, only government institutions and a few individuals could get online Hrw. This cautious rollout reflected official policy: the regime under President Hafez al-Assad took a “go-slow” approach, fearing the free flow of information. All media in Syria were tightly controlled, and officials were wary that the internet could enable dissent Hrw. Even Bashar al-Assad advocated for expanding internet access, but security services resisted due to concerns over “making it safe” for a traditional society Hrw. Public internet access only truly began around 2000, shortly after Bashar al-Assad took power Thenetmonitor. Once the internet was introduced, usage grew steadily, though under heavy state oversight. The first internet service providers were state-affiliated, and the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment became the principal gateway. By July 1998, about 35 Syrian government agencies were online Wikipedia, marking the initial step toward connectivity. In the early 2000s growth was modest – for example, in 2000 there were only about 30,000 users online Wikipedia.