1,000 'offensive' websites to be unblocked

DU THIS: du and Etisalat have been told to unblock access to 1,000 websites. (Getty Images)

Etisalat and Du will be told to unblock access to more than 1,000 websites that UAE censors had deemed offensive.

The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) will instruct web service providers to unblock the sites as part of its new “internet access management” policy, UAE daily The National reported.

The new policy will require the government-controlled internet provider duopoly of Etisalat and Du to unblock the sites before Aug. 29.

While TRA officials were unable to specify the websites that will be unblocked, the paper says they are likely to include internet forums and social networking sites whose administrators have removed material that TRA officials considered questionable or offensive.

Mohamed Nasser Al Ghanim, TRA board member and director general, said: "We have always considered the interests and benefits of consumers throughout the formulation of this policy, which laws are directed to protect Internet users, because we believe in the role of the internet as a primary mean of acquiring knowledge.

"Given the fact of the commercial, economic and media work environment of many governmental bodies and institutions in the country, the TRA has implemented some exceptions on blocking access to certain websites, which contents may be commensurate with the nature of their work, where they might be in dire need to know vital information via the Internet that is at the core of their work. We don't want the blocking system to have a negative impact on their work and activity."

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Amazing...
Posted by Luis, Dubai, UAE on Tuesday 5 August 2008 at 00:26 UAE time

It is simply amazing how concerned these people are with my "moral" health, how they want to ban the use of vpn and how little they care about gaping holes in their own systems.

I am using du (not sure how things are for Etisalat) and they have not fixed yet the issues with DNS vulnerabilities. I just checked and this is what I got:

Your name server, at 80.227.2.2, appears vulnerable to DNS Cache Poisoning.
All requests came from the following source port: 32799


This is several weeks after a very serious issue that threatens the security of all users was published... I guess they are too busy to patch their systems.

Personal Freedom
Posted by Rainigade, Dubai, UAE on Monday 4 August 2008 at 10:50 UAE time

What I do in the privacy of my own home is up to me. If I choose to spend my evenings on Facebook and MySpace, blogging till the cows come home, how is that offensive to anyone in this country - either Muslim or Non-Muslim?

If a site is completely against someone's values, they shouldnt be visiting it in the first place.

For non-pornographic sites, I don't understand the censorship. It should be MY choice. And protecting my children from the dangers of this world is MY responsibility. I don't need a government organisation to tell me what they can and cannot access. Or for that matter, what I - as an adult - can and cannot access.

Having said that, these are the laws of the land. As with many other things - you don't like it that much, you leave. If you stay, you respect them.

Then again - just because I accept it, doesn't mean I have to like it, do I?

Culture
Posted by David, dubai on Monday 4 August 2008 at 10:14 UAE time

Surely web sites that do contain adult materials or sites that are not inline with the culture in the UAE - wouldn't /shouldn't be visited anyway???

Some Newspaper sites are blocked - is that for the best interest of the younger generation?

I agree that blogging sites like Facebook and MySpace should be banned or the TRA should have a pre-registration page to enable control of who goes on thus giving the government control and peace of mind on who is on and who shouldn't......

Response to Nafees
Posted by Paul, Dubai, UAE on Monday 4 August 2008 at 08:20 UAE time

I did not realize that expats were intruders as implied by "Due to an Intrusion of different culture" Many Expats including most of my close friends were born here and have lived here for more than 35 years. those of us who went away for higher education came straight back to Dubai and all are fairly successful and contribute to the growth and success in our own ways of Dubai. I have noticed in the last few weeks that the actions of a few becoming public is getting us all painted with the same brush. Somehow i don't think that is fair.

TRA policy
Posted by airgeo on Sunday 3 August 2008 at 18:22 UAE time


I totally agree to your comment about Etisalat's policy.Mabrooq !

What about others
Posted by Nafees Ahamed, Abu Dhabi, UAE on Sunday 3 August 2008 at 16:46 UAE time

Due to intrusion of different culture to Dubai, we can see women dressed in a manner not in line with the culture of UAE in Dubai roads.

If the UAE government blocks the website, what would be treatment for cases like this. In fact, I am not posting an objection to what TRA is doing, but it should be applied in every angle.

On the other hand, it is right to block the sites that may contain adult materials at least for the best interest of younger generation

Training
Posted by Paul, Dubai on Sunday 3 August 2008 at 10:47 UAE time


What sort or training do the people at the TRA have that means they are the sole guardians of morality? Who are they to decide what is and what is not appropriate for home viewing? What magical insight do they have which us mere mortals do not?

..something healthy comes up..
Posted by kaptain, Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Thursday 31 July 2008 at 13:56 UAE time

..surely a good move..towards acknowledging the levels and standards of knowledge transfer and sharing..

but one has to be cautious.

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