An Internet activist group has targeted several Tunisian government websites in protest at what it says is "an outrageous level of censorship" by the north African state's administration.
"Anonymous," which recently attacked sites and services it deemed opposed to the whistle-blowing site WikiLeaks, has managed to shut down the government's official website, the national stock exchange site, and other sites.
"In addition, we have taken steps to ensure that Tunisians can connect anonymously to the Internet and access information that their government does not want them to see," the loose-knit group said in a statement.
The group said it had launched DDoS attacks -- in which a large number of computers are commanded to overwhelm a website's servers and slow service or knock it offline completely -- against official Tunisian websites.
It said it was doing so to highlight the government's "outrageous level of censorship, not only blocking the websites of dissident bloggers but also sites like Flickr and any website or news source mentioning Wikileaks."
Media rights watchdog Reporters without Borders ranks Tunisia 164th out of 178 countries in its press freedom index.
The "Anonymous" attacks come amid social tension in Tunisia, where clashes have erupted across the country in recent weeks.
A young Tunisian who set himself alight last month in a protest over unemployment, sparking the wave of unrest, died Tuesday in hospital, his relatives said.
Civil groups and the opposition in Tunisia say the protests are driven by high unemployment and high prices of raw materials and have called for radical reforms.
Rights groups say the Tunisian government permits no dissent and harasses critics and activists.