Soldiers' leave is often cancelled and mobile-phone use is restricted.

ECONOMIST: Defections from Bashar Assad��s armed forces are growing

At the time, News Corp. insisted that the phone hacking at the tabloid was restricted to the two men.

WSJ: Two Former News of the World Executives Dispute James Murdoch Testimony

Formerly, coaches were restricted to a single phone call per month, and there were even stiffer limits on text messages and private contact on social media platforms.

FORBES: NCAA Deregulation Of Recruiting Texts Is Step In Right Direction, But There Is Plenty More To Be Done

Motorola, an American mobile-phone company, one of the biggest foreign investors in China, has restricted travel to affected areas, while Japan's Honda is evacuating families of its Japanese employees deemed to be at risk.

ECONOMIST: SARS: A plague on all our businesses | The

They want the opportunity to phone a shop, pop into a high street branch or make enquiries by e-mail rather than be restricted.

BBC: Web shoppers are big spenders