# Egypt: media law used to fine and block news site al-Mashhad

Published 2026-09-23. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: in effect, as of 2026-09-22.

What we don't know: The sources reviewed do not report whether the block was lifted after May 7, 2019.

Under a 2018 law that treats any social media account with more than 5,000 followers as a media outlet, Egypt's media regulator fined news site al-Mashhad and ordered internet providers to block it for spreading what it called false news.[1][2][3]

- Country: [Egypt](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/eg) (RSF 2026 rank: 169th of 180)
- Where: EG
- Level of government: National
- Tactic: Official labels
- Stage: Pressure (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/disinformation_labeling#stage-pressure)
- Ladder note: Egyptian law classifies any social media account over five thousand followers as a media outlet subject to state fines and blocking, and Egypt used it to fine and block a news site for weeks; no United States "fake news" designation can fine or block an outlet.
- Head of government at the time: [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/abdel-fattah-el-sisi)
- Issue of the day: Not stated in the sources reviewed.
- Outcome: Unknown, 7 May 2019. Al-Mashhad's website was still inaccessible in Egypt as of May 7, 2019, the last date given in the source reviewed.
- Era: The 2010s

## What happened

Egypt's Law No. 180 of 2018 applies to every online and offline media outlet and, separately, to any social media account with more than 5,000 followers, treating such accounts as media outlets subject to regulation by the state's Supreme Council for Media Regulation. The law bans content the council judges to be false news, defamatory, obscene, or a threat to national security, with violators facing fines of up to 250,000 Egyptian pounds and having their websites blocked. On March 22, 2019, the council fined the news site al-Mashhad 50,000 Egyptian pounds and ordered Egyptian internet providers to block the site for six months. Al-Mashhad appealed, and on April 7 the council reduced the block to one month starting from the appeal date, but the site remained inaccessible inside Egypt as of May 7, 2019, according to the source reviewed.[1][2][3]

Unresolved; al-Mashhad remained blocked in Egypt as of the date given in the source reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

Not stated in the sources reviewed.[1][2][3]

## What changed for reporting

The law let a state regulator fine and block a news site inside the country over content it alone judged false, without the matter going before an ordinary court first.[3]

## Timeline

- 2019-03-22: Egypt: media law used to fine and block news site al-Mashhad

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/abdel-fattah-el-sisi) | other | President of Egypt |
| [Supreme Council for Media Regulation](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/supreme-council-for-media-regulation-egypt) | other | Egypt's state media regulator |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Al-Mashhad](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/al-mashhad) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. Egypt tests new media law with handling of al-Mashhad website block. https://cpj.org/2019/05/egypt-tests-new-censorship-law-with-handling-of-al/ (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-05-07).
2. Supreme Media Council blocks Al-Mashhad newspaper. https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2019/03/23/supreme-media-council-block-al-mashhad-newspaper/ (Daily News Egypt (national English-language paper), 2019-03-23).

## Claims cited

[1] The scope of Law No. 180 of 2018 as applied to social media. Quote: "applies to all online and offline media outlets, as well as social media accounts with more than 5000 followers" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-05-07. Egypt tests new media law with handling of al-Mashhad website block. https://cpj.org/2019/05/egypt-tests-new-censorship-law-with-handling-of-al/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/690, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The regulator's specific action against al-Mashhad. Quote: "fined al-Mashhad 50,000 Egyptian pounds (US$2,909) and said Egyptian internet service providers would block the paper's website for six months" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-05-07. Egypt tests new media law with handling of al-Mashhad website block. https://cpj.org/2019/05/egypt-tests-new-censorship-law-with-handling-of-al/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/691, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] Status of the block after al-Mashhad's appeal. Quote: "al-Mashhad was still inaccessible in Egypt as of May 7" Source: Committee to Protect Journalists, 2019-05-07. Egypt tests new media law with handling of al-Mashhad website block. https://cpj.org/2019/05/egypt-tests-new-censorship-law-with-handling-of-al/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/692, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/2019-egypt-media-law-blocks-al-mashhad. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.