How did censorship operate under Gamal Abdel Nasser’s government?

Under the government of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt functioned as a police state where censorship was strictly enforced to maintain control. The regime’s approach to information and communication included several repressive measures:1

• Media Control: The government nationalized the country's chief newspapers and exercised strict censorship over all communications media.1
• Surveillance: The state apparatus engaged in pervasive monitoring of private life, which included tapping telephones, opening personal mail, and searching the rooms of visitors.1
• Manipulation of Information: The government utilized media to shape public perception, often presenting misleading or overly optimistic accounts of state operations, such as during the early days of the 1967 Six-Day War.2

These actions were part of a broader strategy to consolidate power, which also involved the suppression of political opposition, the use of concentration camps for political enemies, and the handpicking of candidates for office.1