The iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones available today, and is available world wide in one form or another. However it appears that owning an iPhone in Syria has now been outlawed due to the Syrian government placing an official countrywide ban on the iOS smartphone and anyone caught owning the iPhone can end up on the wrong side of the law.

According to an article over on Digital Trends by way of Haaretz the Syrian Customs Department has served notice to pro-democratic activists warning against using an iPhone in Syria and owning and importing an iPhone carries a penalty of prosecution and confiscation.

Apparently the ban in Syria of the iPhone is an effort to block protestor’s ability to communicate, and an activist told Haaretz that visitors to Syria who own an iPhone could be suspected of being a spy.

The ban on the iPhone is apparently an attempt by the government to stop protestors from recording government violence against the protestors although it remains unclear whether the ban covers other smartphones with cameras other than the iPhone.

Since march when the protests began the Syrian government has barred foreign media from the country leading to protesting activists posting footage of the violent crackdown on protesters to the Internet presumable via their iPhone or other smartphones.

Thus it would appear that the Syrian government doesn’t want the outside world to know what is going on during these protests and holds the Apple smartphone to blame and so has banned the device from the country.

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