Syria's ministry of communications has announced the lifting of restrictions put in place by the ousted Assad regime with dozens of websites unblocked.
The changes include increased internet speed to ensure all citizens have access to better quality communications, Hussein al-Masri, the new communications minister told the SANA news agency.
Also lifted are bans on pro-revolution content, which the former regime had blocked.
"We have cancelled internet speed limits in provinces such as Daraa and Quneitra to improve internet quality and facilitate access to information and electronic services," he said.
"We have lifted the block on websites that supported the Syrian revolution to enhance freedom of expression and access to information."
The next plan for the ministry is to connect northern Syria to other provinces for better communication across the country, following years of de-facto separation.
"We are always seeking to take measures that contribute to improving the lives of citizens in a free Syria," he added.
The steps come as part of the new administration’s plans to address other outstanding issues and manage the transitional phase.
According to a 2020 report by Freedom House, a US organisation supporting democracy around the world, internet freedoms under Assad were severely restricted with government repression of dissent at an all-time high.
The organisation said journalists and online activists regularly faced arrest, detentions, and torture.
'Internet rationing' was also implemented by the now-ousted Assad regime amid the war and economic crisis, which saw a cap on the amount of data citizens were able to use each month.
If they exceeded the threshold of broadband connection, the speed was reduced, with big price increases.
This, the organisation argued, was another curb for civil liberties and political rights in the country.
Most activists in the country engaged in self-censorship and hid their identities to prevent repression or persecution from security sources under Assad.
Freedom House states that Syria’s telecommunications infrastructure is one of the least developed in the Middle East region, with damage to infrastructure from bombing also a leading factor.
The de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly promised to maintain freedoms in the country after rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham toppled the Assad regime in December.