<p>Up to 3 million Egyptians lost their connection to the internet last week when Facebook’s Free Basics program was shut down on Wednesday. The reason for the shutdown of Facebook’s controversial Free Basics program, which launched in Egypt in October, is still not clear.</p><p>Sources for the <em>New York Times</em> speculated that the Egyptian government was behind the shutdown as it prepares for protests on January 25, which will mark the fifth anniversary of the Egyptian uprising which toppled the Mubarak regime. An unnamed source for <em>Reuters</em> from Egypt’s Telecommunications Ministry said that the Egyptian telecom provider Etisalat had only been granted a permit to offer the service for two months and that the permit expired on Wednesday. The official further clarified that the shutdown was not related to security concerns.
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