UAE Community Blog: Internet Filtering in the United Arab Emirates in 2004-2005

14 September, 2005

Link: Internet Filtering in the United Arab Emirates in 2004-2005

Link posted here for information and discussion by the UAE community blog writers and readers.

secretdubai said...: It's fear and ignorance. Internet censorship to protect families needs to be opt-in, and done at an ISP and family level.

The current censorship doesn't block all objectionable or unsafe content, such as:

- random objectionable images
- unknown objectionable sites
- objectionable content and contact in chatlines
- forums where objectional content can be posted
- objectional content sent/spammed through email
- P2P downloading of objectionable content

and so forth. Most importantly, it does not keep children safe from internet predators - and more worryingly, it leads families into a misplaced complacence that their children are safe. They are not.

All forced censorship does is make people blind their eyes to the reality of the internet, and fail to warn and protect their children adequately.; 14 September, 2005 15:14
John B. Chilton said...: Could it be if the government/Etisilat did not try to filter, then it would come in for the criticism that it is endorsing everything out there?

It would be like if the governments here were involved in selling alcohol. Um, er , no, uh wait ...; 14 September, 2005 16:59

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