"Police are working to control web sites such as YouTube fearing that they are having a bad influence on UAE youngsters.
General Khamis Al-Muzaina, Deputy director of Dubai Police, met a representative from Google yesterday to discuss the issue after the head of Dubai Police Lt General Dahi Khalfan Tamim expressed concerns that YouTube can harm youngsters.
Al-Muzaina urged Google to help control the site. He said: “The internet is a good way to get information and communicate but there are some people using it for things that are against our country’s traditions and morals.” “We are not against freedom but it’s our duty to protect our country and its traditions.”
Speaking about YouTube Doctor Mohammad Murad from the Youth Protection Institute said: “There is porn and videos mocking religion and some videos which encourage violence and terrorism. It’s not good for youths and can cause hate and damage the nation,” he said.
Al-Muzaina added that the police were increasing their efforts and cooperation with Etisalat to protect society. “The youth is the future of our nation and we must protect them from bad things on the internet” he added.
Jesile Hiskok director of Google developer in the Middle East said a team from Google is discussing the issues with officials in the UAE."
more here
Does anyone else think it's just a little bit unlikely that Google would change the whole of YouTube to cater to a country that is equal to 0.068% of the worlds total population?
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14 comments:
Does anyone think Google might offer a version for the UAE that is different than the rest of the world's?
Left and right hand do seem to have problems here:
"Apple iTunes opens line to Skype"
http://www.thenational.ae/article/20090402/BUSINESS/980933744/1005
A bit like the local newspaper, today, that captioned a photo from G20 "King Abdullah", when it was his Foreign Minister. (I write FM as not to sure whether he is:
a)Brother;
b)Half-Brother.)
No, they wont change how Youtube is operated. They might however be able to come to some resolution that will allow Youtube to be viewed and have Dubai police happy.
If not, it'll just get blocked.
Actually they did. Didn't you get at youtube a message saying "This video is not available in your country"
I think that has to do more with copyrights than censorship.
PE is right. youtube has a policy for videos by commercial companies, mainly music and films, where the firms can choose to limit who views what by country. i think it's more for copyrights rather than censorship.
but perhaps the same technology and concept can be applied for the UAE.
I'm fine with blocking offensive videos, but blocking the entire youtube would be silly. it's like punishing the majority of people who use youtube for good things for the few morons who think their home-made porn and snuff films are cool to put up for everyone to see.
It's really a shame for Dubai that someone that clearly doesn't know what he is talking about is in a position where people take what he's implying seriously.
The best way backwards is by appointing uneducated people to positions that should take the country forward.
Yeah. Because god forbid parents have a hand in 'protecting' their kids.
Lt General Dahi doesn't have the best track record on this kind of thing....
I remember last year he was saying that interactive TV channels were the biggest threat to the UAE's national security.
Maybe someone less technophobic could be appointed to oversee Internet stuff?
What will probably happen is that UAE blocks it anyway; Google doesn't make enough money from us unsignificant people to change anything.
i think its a shame..
often its the lock on the door that attracts the thief more than the loot..
I'm pretty sure google is already working on a country per country blacklist if they don't have it already. If they don't do it for the UAE (they do have an office here) they'll do it for China, or the UK or Australia or any other country who going down the ban first think later road... For once you can't blame the UAE for following the example of pretty much the rest of the world.
it makes me sad anyway.
often its the lock on the door that attracts the thief more than the loot..
awesome saying. similar on the lines of "the best way to get something popular/read/noticed is by banning it."
I'd say this again: "...god forbid parents have a hand in 'protecting' their kids."
didn't LT. G. Dhahi Khalfan announce on public radio couple of weeks ago that youtube shows women putting penises in their mouths?
been scouring the site for such videos since but nothing comes up (no pun intended).
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