Du CEO plays down net censorship

NEW RULES: Du said its new restrictions will not impact businesses activities in Dubai. (Getty Images)

Du subscribers will not lose access to popular websites Skype or Facebook under the internet restrictions imposed by the UAE telecom, CEO Osman Sultan told ArabianBusiness.com on Monday.

Du on Monday blocked all websites deemed to offend the "moral, social and cultural values" of the UAE, bringing its internet content filtering in line with Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) guidelines.

The move means companies operating out of Dubai's free zones and residents in Nakheel or Emaar Properties freehold developments will come under the UAE proxy server for the first time.

It has sparked concerns that popular social networking websites and sites needed by businesses operating in freezones could fall under the ban.

Sultan tried to allay customer fears, stating that only websites with "offensive" content would be blocked under the new filtering policy.

The proxy server blocks websites that contain pornography, alcohol, gambling, hatred, child abuse or terrorism, according to the TRA.

However, many more sites than just those containing these subjects are covered by the proxy.

“These are not new regulations we are implementing, this is an initiative we have chosen to take to filter some content after receiving complaints from concerned customers,” he said.

Websites such as Skype and social networking sites such as Facebook would not be targeted since they come under a different regulatory category, Sultan said.

He said the TRA has yet to clarify rules for these sites.

“We are only blocking things for moral, social and cultural reasons. Skype comes under the TRA’s VoIP (voice over internet protocol) regulation which is a different story,” he said.

Sultan also said the new restrictions would not impact any of the telecom's business customers.

“People are worried about their businesses but these access restrictions could not be to websites necessary for business. [However] the TRA will listen to legitimate requests from businesses that need access to certain places, and can come to arrangements,” he said.

The TRA is currently considering new regulations regarding access to the internet, with its Internet Penetration Policy expected to be announced by the end of the year. The policy will clarify the internet content that will be blocked in the Emirates.

Censorship of the internet, common in much of the Arab world, has long been opposed by press freedom advocates and human rights groups that claim unrestricted access to information is integral to free expression.

Reporters Without Borders ranks the UAE 65th out of 169 countries in latest Press Freedom Index.

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READERS' COMMENTS

Nwo teh whole 'net is slow...
Posted by clyde, dubai on Monday 21 April 2008 at 10:40 UAE time


It's not so much that I have anything against the proxy for what its intentions are... The sad part is that after having a 512 connection, its now functioning like a 56k dialup on sites such as Hotmail, and Google - NO! I will not use google.ae I want the international version of google thankyou very much.

I really think they should consider a law that every home should have some net nanny kind of software, instead of a ISP level proxy that has one terrible side effect

Slowing down legitimate internet browsing!

Firozali Mulla MBA PhD
Posted by Ali, Scotland, UK on Wednesday 16 April 2008 at 17:10 UAE time

Hey Firozali Mulla MBA PhD,

What's with posting MBA PhD after your name? Are you inferring one should take your comments more seriously or is it merely showing off?

Du is a joke! Since it was started...
Posted by Chris K, Dubai, Lebanon on Wednesday 16 April 2008 at 12:47 UAE time


DU is practically Etisalat who is itself the TRA so practically the censorship decision comes with no surprise, it was just a matter of time till it was implemented...

Now for all of you who can do whatever in Dubai you are not allowed to view websites at ur discretion peacefully at home or work... Such a schyzophrenic situation we're in! :-)

Bottom line is, we live and work here, so we have to play by the rules... And for those of you who are so upset because of Du's Proxy, just bypass it for God's sake. Don't waste ur time sending requests to unblock this or that site, it will fall on deaf ears!

Cheers!

Du proxy
Posted by Mart, London, UK on Tuesday 15 April 2008 at 13:44 UAE time

Firozali Mulla MBA PhD misses the point of the criticism.

The UAE blocks far more than morally dubious content.

The UAE permits one to go to a bar and buy a beer. But one can not now look at the website of the company that produces that beer. Does he think this makes sense? If beer is bad, why not ban it in the UAE? Instead they just ban the manufacturers website.

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