Update: Though there are reports of access to the Internet allegedly being cut off, sources from within the country are reporting they have access with slight disruptions in some areas and Renesys reports services are running "normally."

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Protests in Algeria intensified today, and the Algerian government responded by blocking access to Facebook accounts and blocking Internet service providers across the country, according to The Telegraph.

In a volatile situation similar to that which brought down former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Algerian government has dispatched 30,000 riot police in Algiers, and is resorting to tear gas and plastic bullets to try to discourage dissent, according to The Telegraph.

Algerians are calling this uprising the "February 12 Revolution," as they protest government corruption, massive unemployment, housing problems and poverty. They would like to oust Algerian President Abdelaziz Boutifleka, whose police forces are also trying to silence journalists, according to The Telegraph.

From what we've seen so far, shutting down the Internet and blocking access to Facebook is not going to work.

Photo courtesy The Telegraph/EPA