The September 11th issue of the New York Times includes an article by Hassan M. Fattah on ambiguities surrounding journalists freedoms in the UAE. It's worth reading.
Our very own Secret Dubai comes in for a mention - quote:
The Internet is the most often censored; the Emirates' phone provider, Etisalat, uses an electronic filter for all Internet traffic and, the government says, blocks sites deemed prurient or troublesome. Pornography is certainly blocked, as are gambling and dating sites, according to a statement by Etisalat.
But the system has blocked material on other subjects, like alcohol and breast cancer. More controversially, content that verges on the political has also been blocked: Secret Dubai Diary, a quirky blog about Western expatriate life here, was blocked for weeks this summer, raising howls from the blogger community. Etisalat says users can appeal to have a block removed.
For almost a day in June, the Web site of The Times was blocked, possibly, the company said, because it contained words that activated the filter; Etisalat quickly unblocked the site after numerous complaints.
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3 comments:
Yes, and I've mentioned the same about Secret Dubai on my blog! She's a celebrity from Bloggywood!!
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=14514
abu dhabi pulling out of gulf air
Well any publicity about any of us should be good for the whole, thanks to this place. As soon as anyone visits an individual blog, they usually find a link to UAE community, and that gets them to all the blogs.
I've already noticed referrals from my blog to UAE community and vice versa - hopefully others are seeing the same.
The UAE will rule the world in blogging!!
(One day.... ;) )
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