“I don’t think the ban is going to happen, but if it goes ahead, then the users will find other programs,” said Ismail Patel, a GCC research analyst at Informa Telecoms & Media. While content that undermines the authority of the Saudi ruling family has always been restricted, the government has become increasingly sensitive to online dissidence, fearing it could incite uprisings the likes of those in Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, and neighboring Bahrain. It blocks content that is insulting to Islam, threatening to ban YouTube last year for carrying Innocence of Muslims, the low-budget film that sparked violent protests across the Muslim world for its insulting portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed.
Like several other Arab countries, Saudi Arabia has long implemented a ban on pornography and films or websites that show sex or nudity. In the Middle East, three taboos have traditionally drawn the greatest level of censorship: religion, sex, and politics. Reporters Without Borders lists Saudi Arabia as an “ Enemy of the Internet,” saying last year that “its rigid opposition to the simmering unrest on the Web caused it to tighten its Internet stranglehold even more to stifle all political and social protests.” Saudi may try, without censorship, to find ways to monitor communications.”Īs revolution gripped much of the Arab world in 2011, Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest oil exporter, spearheaded a counterrevolution-working to appease its critics with monetary and political concessions, while suppressing protests via brutal crackdowns. “The Saudi government is refraining from taking an extremely authoritarian style dealing with its critical youth population. “A proposal for a ban would be driven by political and security concerns as opposed to economic concerns,” said Aiyah Saihati, a Saudi businesswoman and writer.
The country’s second-largest telecom company, known as Mobily, was temporarily banned from selling its pay-as-you-go SIM cards after it failed to comply with the new regulations. The CITC announced in September that all pre-paid SIM card users must enter a personal identification number when recharging their accounts and the number must match the one registered with their mobile operator when the SIM is purchased.
#Viber down crack#
While Saudi Arabia is infamous for taking authoritarian measures to crack down on perceived security threats, it has increasingly shifted its attention toward the telecommunications sector in recent months. The companies have until Saturday-the start of the Saudi workweek- to respond to Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC), local news reports said. Despite a medley of applications now available to help Internet users avert such a ban, the kingdom declared that it would block the services within its borders unless the operators grant the government surveillance rights.
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