Editing Telecommunications in Iraq (section)

===Internet censorship and surveillance===

In August 2009 the [[OpenNet Initiative]] found no evidence of Internet filtering in Iraq in all four of the areas for which they test (political, social, conflict/security, and Internet tools).<ref name=ONI-Iraq-CountryProfile-2009>[http://opennet.net/research/profiles/iraq "ONI Country Profile: Iraq"], OpenNet Initiative, 10 August 2009</ref>

There are no overt government restrictions on access to the Internet or official acknowledgement that the government monitors [[e-mail]] or Internet [[chat rooms]] without judicial oversight. NGOs report that the government could and was widely believed to monitor e‑mail, chat rooms, and social media sites through local Internet service providers.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204362 "Iraq"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 22 April 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>

The constitution broadly provides for the right of [[free expression]], provided it does not violate public order and morality or express support for the banned [[Baath Party]] or for altering the country's borders by violent means. In practice the main limitation on individual and media exercise of these rights is [[self-censorship]] due to real fear of reprisals by the government, political parties, ethnic and sectarian forces, terrorist and extremist groups, or criminal gangs. [[Libel]] and [[defamation]] are offenses under the penal law and the 1968 Publications Law with penalties of up to seven years' imprisonment for publicly insulting the government.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

After the release and media amplification of the controversial "[[Innocence of Muslims]]" Internet video in September 2012, Christian groups reported an increase in death threats. One militant group called the Brigade of the Straight Path issued an ultimatum to Christians in [[Mosul]] to leave or be killed. The government provided additional security in Christian neighborhoods following the threat. There were no deaths or attacks related to the threat, and the government reduced security to normal levels by the end of 2012.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

The constitution mandates that authorities may not enter or search homes except with a judicial order. The constitution also prohibits arbitrary interference with privacy. In practice security forces often entered homes without search warrants and took other measures interfering with privacy, family, and correspondence.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2012/>

In 2011 when a documentary filmmaker and author of a prominent [[blog]] organized the video coverage of peaceful protests over the Internet via a short, nonsubscription messaging service, he was beaten on 22 April and again on 22 July, allegedly by individuals in civilian clothing linked to the security forces and by army officers as he attempted to videotape demonstrations in [[Liberation Square, Baghdad|Tahrir Square]] for his blog. He went into hiding, and a few days after the second attack police searched his house. He later resumed blogging.<ref name=USDOS-CRHRP-Iraq-2011>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2012&dlid=204362 "Iraq"], ''Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011'', Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 25 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2014.</ref>