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UAE censor targets Facebook, Myspace
by This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it on Thursday, 21 February 2008Posted on Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Pushing people to learn
Posted by IncidentFlux at 12:23 UAE time
Growing up in UAE, I've noticed the best thing these blocks have done, is pushed none technical people to learn how to bypass them effictively and efficently, and in turn they've have gotten more security aware in the process, and some of them even made careers out of it.
China, UAE and KSA probably have the most tech aware populations TCP/IP networking wise in the world.
TRA, sincere thanks for making everyone think!
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not a good sign
Posted by Paul at 10:45 UAE time
The UAE tries hard to convince foreigners that the UAE is a modern place with an 'attractive' lifestyle, and then imposes nanny-state censorship to try to impose its own cultural identity on those very people it is trying to attract. Dating is a sin? Since when!?
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Posted on Tuesday, 14 October 2008
Bans are doomed to failure!
Posted by Tom at 17:10 UAE time
It is true. Any ban always has a workaround and there are always smart people who will cater to the demand created by such a ban.
I'm an expat and live in Al Qusais and still I access every website in the world including Skype services!
I’m a happy camper now!!! :D I think TRA should trust its population to be mature enough to self-censor what they feel inappropriate.
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Posted on Saturday, 17 May 2008
Facebook ban in the UAE
Posted by Gaurav Tahiliani at 23:25 UAE time
The UAE is targeting many tourists from around the world and they want to make their country one of the best places in the world with loads of foreign residents... But they will not succeed if they block so many websites especially Facebook. They have already blocked Orkut... and facebbok is on the way...
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Posted on Wednesday, 19 March 2008
UAE can't do it
Posted by Vincent O. Moh at 05:00 UAE time
I don't see why the UAE thinks it can block - Very few people are actually UAE citizens and many foreigners live on there, so cultural reasons fizzle.
I would think that everyone in the UAE knows how to proxy. It's likely hush-hush, but of course that's how things go.
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Posted on Thursday, 28 February 2008
Worng approach for modern Arabia!
Posted by Philip at 14:58 UAE time
EDUCATE your countrymen, DO NOT DICTATE.
Through education comes understanding,
Through dictation comes rebellion.
I'm sure the successfully progressive thinker Sheikh Mohammed believes in education, so please demonstrate it in this case.
The main problem with a dictatorship is that it is subjective. For example, WHY is www.last.fm currently blocked? There is no dating, no porn, nothing to offend the UAE's cultural identity. Just people sharing comment and expanding their musical horizons. Where is the crime?
Also, the UAE MUST offer a viable VoIP solution before blocking external services! PRIME EXAMPLE OF SLOWING DOWN PROGRESS.
Lastly, why CENSOR in a FREE zone? The UAE must rename these zones to "PARTIALLY-FREE ZONE" - otherwise they are telling a lie.
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Posted on Wednesday, 27 February 2008
The responsibility of freedom
Posted by Karen Elizabeth at 09:38 UAE time
Hello to Munir El Kadi from Karen,
As a mother of six children I appreciate what you are saying about protecting your children from influences that would not build good character. Three of my children, who are all in their twenties have their photos and friends, interests and even beliefs posted on My Space. To them it is a place to share the music they love, (sometimes Christian music), and the fun and friends that are in their life. There isn't anything immoral at all on any of their pages. As you have said, there are many people who use Facebook as a tool to connect with their friends.
America was at one time following more closely it's Christian roots which means that some have forgotten good character and good choices. But not all. There are many good people in America who like to help others and love to do what is right. As fellow citizens of this world we live in, we all must learn to choose between what is good and what is evil. If that choice is overwhelming and difficult there is always the strength that a kind and good God will give us when we ask for help. Facebook and My Space can be a place used for good. There will always be people who might abuse it, but not just in Facebook or My Space but in many places and opportunities the world offers. We just have to maintain the strength to go in a better direction. I still believe in freedom, but I think with freedom comes responsibility...and gratefulness.
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Posted on Monday, 25 February 2008
internet ban
Posted by ... at 16:14 UAE time
This is really silly... the UAE is supposed to be a leading city in the world, yet there are restrictions on web sites?
Why do some fashion, art, music... sites have to be blocked?
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Posted on Sunday, 24 February 2008
No Valid Argument for Censorship
Posted by theshadow at 02:14 UAE time
Preserving and protecting "identity, traditions, ethics, morals and culture" seems like a noble aim on the face of it but I fail to see any logical way in which censoring the Internet will achieve these goals.
First of all, the population here is far from homogenous, therefore there is no single set of filtering practices or a magic list of websites to block that will ensure that the content of the Internet is compatible with any single set of cultural beliefs.
Secondly,within each cultural subgroup there is a wide spectrum of indivudual opinions as to what is objecitonable and what is not.
As such it's hard to see any point or logic in a centrally managed content filtering system since any such system is destined to be inherently flawed from the get-go.
However if somebody can manage to draft some sort of coherent filtering policy that speaks to "everybody's" interests, how do you apply such an imperfect and subjective vetting system to censoring the Internet - which is the largest, most fluid and most rapidly evolving source of information the world has ever seen - in anything but a clumsy manner?
Ergo - centralized filtering = Epic Fail.
Given that centralized filtering is inherently flawed, the next question is - would having an flawed content filtering system be more beneficial than having than none at all?
It's hard to see any clear benefits to be had from blocking web content for mature individuals, who are assumed in any society to be morally aware and intelligent beings who are capable of knowing right from wrong and acting accordingly. After all, we do let these same people drive cars, own property, have children and generally run the local economy don't we?
Censor their internet and all that is likely to happen is that these people will be inconvenienced and annoyed at best, or be less productive at worst if unable to find crucial bits of information. This actually harms society.
Besides, when mature indivuduals go too far in pursuit of their individualisms we already have a safety net (no pun intended) - the law enforcement agencies and courts system of the country take care of that, so there would seem to be no tangible benefit to having a centralized internet content system in terms of improving the behaviour of the adult population.
Which leaves the precious innocent minds which are "immature", impresisonable and truly "in need of protection". For these individuals there is already a wonderfully effective invention called "client side filtering software", which lets responsible individuals define and block objectionable content for themselves and for their dependents on their own computers and according to their own values.
If the government/TRA truly cares about benefitting society, the choice is clear - provide "preconfigured" client-side filtering software to each and every internet user for free along with the internet package and then put the power in the hands of each and every iindividual to act responsibly in terms of how far to open the floodgates in the interest of itheir own best sense of dentity, traditions, ethics, morals and culture”.
Bingo. Epic Win.
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proxy
Posted by Alex at 00:42 UAE time
still thr is a way to bypass, using VPN or Proxy.. so who cares...
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Facebook in the Free Zones
Posted by Stu at 23:35 UAE time
It appears the TRA is not aware of the regulations that first set up the free zones.... "where there is a conflict between the rules of the Free Zone and the laws of the UAE, the rules of the Free Zone shall prevail". Therefore, they are under no obligation to introduce internet filtering in these locations as the Free Zone does not have any rules banning web content.
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Facebook Ban
Posted by SJD at 22:26 UAE time
What is the point of showing Dubai as a world city, when they will block the basic meaning of a global society. By blocking content, authorities are only frustrating thousands of people who genuinely use these sites to maintain their friend/family circle, while away from them.
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Further to my comment
Posted by Munir El Kadi at 22:13 UAE time
Further to my earlier comment, is that while ensuring dating sections are controlled, the regular networking aspect of Facebook should remain.
I encourage my son to go ahead and meet old friends online, as well as my wife.
I have also benefitted from facebook through restablishing contacts with friends I had in Hi School and later students I have taught, many are living in different places around the world
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Censorship in face book only related to pages related to dating
Posted by Munir El Kadi at 22:07 UAE time
Hi Karen,
I don't know if you noticed that the sections bad will cover only sections related to morally offending pages. I guess we have the right to protect our younger generations from undesired effects of globalization, while still maintaining our connection with the world.
Actually, my wife, who is a Canadian (her name is Jennifer) is one of those who emailed etisalat, with a request to censor sections of face book that she felt was abusing the use of Facebook by changing it to a a morally degrading social networking site.
To tell you the truth, most of us living here prefer it here because at least we know that our kids are morally and physically protected from the dangerous aspects of modernization, while maintaining those positive aspects.
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To those who lead us backwards - Trend and Direction is the other way
Posted by Abu Qais at 21:25 UAE time
I want my kids to think out side of your box, I want them to use any channel or medium to learn, read, and compose utilizing all the available tools and technologies that enables and encourage innovation, creativity, well being, freedom, privacy, democracy and human rights. I do not want your involvement in maintaining my identity, culture, tradittions, and values that I hold as a Muslim and as an Arabic human being. I can do that by my own, and I can teach my kids how to maintain it by themselves. it has to come from within. the facebook or any other social network should be the tools that we should use in this new knowledge economy and new world order to communicate and market our believes, causes, and messages to the civilized world. the sounds that you make around this issue is not even louder than the tiny breadth of my very little babyboy. You should not be allowed to do that to the majority of us. Try creating a national Poll and lets see the results!
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