Flickr Ban Lifted

According to a report in The National, the TRA has lifted the Flickr ban.  Good news for UAE internet users and photographers.  Apparently, it's been made possible by Yahoo utilising the same content filter that they are using for Singapore's Flickr access.

Let's hope that it stays lifted, this time!

Eid Mubarak

Have a wonderful Eid everyone.. :)

nItrnetainaol tliraeyc ady

eraindg nad wiritgn si osemtinhg ew tkae ofr rgtnaed. omsetnhig 776 imlilno tcna od. dtyoa ew eclbearte orlwd tliraeyc ady, a ayd roecnzgide owlrdidwe dan foiafcilyl spurpoerdt yb NUSECO nad ete nutied aniotsn. ltes amek tihs nirtnaetaoialn tliraeyc ady arelyl amen osmhtiegn nda phle omer eopoel elanr ot erda. pehl aemk a ifdreenefe dan letl ruoy eraesdr – adn het wlodr – ubaot eth irmpatnoce fo earindg adn od osmtehngi ot ephl rbeka hte liiltarcey yccel.

Having trouble reading this? Now you know what it is like for the 776 million people who can’t. Visit www.hope140.org to learn more.’

Serious Business

"These types of crimes are very serious, and according to the tip-off the department organised a team to investigate the case," said Major Salah Bu Aseeba, Director of the Department of Economic Crimes at Dubai Police."

Damn. What could be so serious? Not only serious, but "very serious"? And not only that, what could be so bad to catch the attention of the "Economic Crimes" department?

Corporate espionage? Price fixing? Cement and steel industry cartels? Monopoly?

No... Far more serious...

VoIP. Seriously.

Under The Knife

"Some plastic surgeons in Dubai are reporting an increase in business despite the global economic slowdown. An industry that once catered mostly to women is becoming increasingly popular among Dubai men.

"The number of men seeking cosmetic surgery has increased tremendously. A good 30 per cent of men are seeking liposuction. A common procedure for men is called male breast reduction which is on the rise because people are getting more conscious. Other popular procedures include botox, liposuction, rhinoplasty, body lifts and hair transplants," says Dr Parashar.

While the ratio between men and women is evening, the nationalities seeking procedures still remains a broad mix. Surgeons report the mix to be made up of around 50 to 60 per cent western expatriates and 40 to 50 per cent local and regional residents with the latter percentage slowly increasing."

More here

Strings Lab – First iPhone & iPad Game

My first iPhone & iPad game has just been released in the App store and I’m really excited. It is a special feeling to see an idea transformed into an actual product.

The game itself is a blend of two things I have always enjoyed open ended games and physics. In the game you are in charge of a Strings Labs and your objective is create as much energy as possible. You can create Quantum Strings, Photons and Gravitons and watch them interact and create more complex elements. You are also given a few tools to facilitate specific interactions.

Since it is a sandbox type game, I will keep the how-to to a minimum a let the gamer figure out stuff as they play, but I will be posting hints and tips here (amiri.hub.ae) from time to time.

The game comes in two falavors:

• Free Ad Supported Version (iPhone Only) – Link Here


• Full version (iPad and iPhone) – Link Here

Here are a few screen shots, and let me know what you think. If you like the game, a positive rating and/or review on iTunes is highly appreciated.

And since this is a shameless plug for my app, here are a few promo codes for the full version of the game:

FMNNJNEAA4KK

RL6M6XEWM6AH

ARMEXXHX6WWR

WEMJL3A99PEH

PTFXER63A4N6

PY9NAJ4NXMXX

YX4R96FTN67E

F7XAA3HA7T7K

9KNRMXMFMEAF

KFJFE733FW9P

Saudi BB ban lifted?

The UK Daily Telegraph is reporting that "Saudi Arabia and the makers of the BlackBerry smartphone have reached a deal to prevent a ban on the phone's messenger service."

The report says:

The agreement, which involves placing a BlackBerry server inside Saudi Arabia, would allow the government to monitor users' messages and allay official fears the service could be used for criminal purposes.

A Saudi regulatory official said tests were now under way to determine how to install a BlackBerry server inside the country.

The story's here.

Dubai Police Virtual Training?!

The Dubai Police Force is looking for a game developer to help them create a virtual training program for their department, according to a Gamasutra job posting.

There aren't a lot of details about what exactly the police department wants the "serious game" to do, but they job opening is for a CryEngine Game Developer and that the developer will report to Dr. Ahmed Bin Subaih, the department's head of the virtual training section.

Requirements include experience with artificial intelligence and multiplayer games and the job pays $70,000 and include health and transportation for the employee and family.

Looking at what appears to be a screenshot from the initiative, I'm intrigued by what the virtual training program could be. It looks like it will include pretty detailed environments and, perhaps, a third-person point of view.

More here: The Dubai Police want you to make a game for them (Kotaku)

Blackberry dumbphones

Assuming the BlackBerry ban isn't mere saber rattling, is it not disgusting that consumers will have to bear the costs of the TRA's decision to ban BlackBerry services?

Not only the cost of devices, but for companies and individuals to swap over to different devices?

It is absolutely not enough that the TRA require du and Etisalat to provide services in place of devices we've all already paid for;

"Both telecommunications operators – Etisalat and du – were informed of the decision earlier today. The notification was delivered with an instruction to ensure minimal consumer disruption in the provision of alternative services." (from www.tra.ae)

So where are the calls from Etisalat and du arranging delivery of our new phones that haven't had their feature-list suddenly cut in half overnight?

If this all turns out to be a failed attempt by the TRA to try and force RIM to co-operate with ridiculous laws who will refund consumers that went and bought new devices in the belief that BlackBerry services would be banned?

Given the absolutely atrociously ridiculous cost of on-the-fly 3G data in the UAE we're all going to end up "forking over yet another ton of money to Etisalat and du once again" (so common that we can henceforth abbreviate it to FOY-ATOM-TEA-DOA)

Also, at a time like this, let us not lose sight of the General Policy for the Telecommunications Sector in the State of the United Arab Emirates:

"3.3 Become the Regional ICT Hub
The Government will support the development of the UAE as a regional ICT and telecommunications hub by:
[...]
3. Ensuring a secure environment in telecommunication applications and usage, including information security and network security, authentication, privacy and consumer protection by developing Policies and Regulatory Framework for this subject."

So to ensure that the UAE becomes a regional ICT Hub by "ensuring a secure environment", the TRA's grandmaster plan is to ban anything that is a secure environment?

With front page CNN, BBC, Slashdot, New York Times the UAE is sure set to become the regional ICT hub in about minus 8000 years. What will the TRA find reason to block tomorrow in its continuous quest to 'protect consumers'? Skype?

Is it little wonder companies like Skype have set up shop in Bahrain and not the UAE?

Will the TRA use this extremely sound reasoning:

Blackberry data is immediately exported off-shore, where it is managed by a foreign, commercial organization. Blackberry data services are currently the only data services operating in the UAE where this is the case. (from www.tra.ae

to start blocking services which are managed overseas and are encrypted like Gmail? Will the TRA start outlawing all encrypted communications including https websites so we can no longer use banking facilities in a secure manner?

Blackberry services in UAE to be suspended

The TRA confirmed today that Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry E-mail and Blackberry Web-browsing services in the UAE will be suspended as of October 11th 2010.

Today’s decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain Blackberry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national security concerns for the UAE.

Commenting on the announcement TRA Director General Mohamed Al Ghanim said: “With no solution available and in the public interest, in order to affect resolution of this issue, as of October 11, 2010, Blackberry Messenger, Blackberry Email and Blackberry Web-browsing services will be suspended until an acceptable solution can be developed and applied.”

“We informed both Etisalat and du that providing the option of alternative services to ensure the continuity of service from October 11 to its subscribers – both individuals and organisations - is the most important priority.” Al Ghanim added.

Said Al Ghanim, “The TRA notes that Blackberry appears to be compliant in similar regulatory environments of other countries, which makes non-compliance in the UAE both disappointing and of great concern.”

From TRA's website.

The build-up to this can be seen two posts down.

Etisalat, eLife and unfair marketing practices

I called Etisalat this afternoon regarding their eLife services which I have posted about previously and have come to some interesting conclusions. Most of all the information provided on their website and the wording that they have chosen, as well as the unavailability of proper information appears to be unfair for consumers.

The information Etisalat offers is as follows:

• There will be a 100 GB LIMIT on the UNLIMITED eLife packages
• They claim that it is under test and have no idea when it will be implemented
• They have no idea how it will be implemented (i.e. what happens after bandwidth limit)
• They have no idea of what the costs associated with such a limit would be

How are consumers meant to make informed decisions with their purchases when Etisalat is holding back information in such a way? Especially when eLife is offered with a 12 month contract.

Technically speaking Etisalat is offering an unlimited connection at this moment, however they have already previously mentioned things like fair usage policies and such on their website which they have since removed which is a little bit more than suspicious (in that it seems they are trying to make customers purchase an 'unlimited' connection on a 12 month contract that is going to be limited in the near future while making no solid information available).

At the moment there is no actual mention of any limitations at all on their website and this information is only available via phone; there is one webpage regarding the FUP (fair usage policy) however it is no longer linked to anywhere on the site and it makes no mentions of prices or any technical or solid information whatsoever.

I particularly find it interesting that the TRA is always so adamant about 'protecting consumers' when it comes to Skype or security threats on BlackBerry Messenger, but don't seem to do much of anything when it comes to actual consumers. Their policies make for interesting reading...

"2.1 Price Transparency Before Service Offering
2.1.1 Prior to offering service to consumers, licensees shall disclose the
following:
(a) all prices that may apply, including deposits and pre-payments;

(Taken from TRA Price Transparency Policy)   

Etisalat had no idea when I called what the prices of additional bandwidth would be. Which means they are offering a service to customers without being able to inform customers of what pricing will actually be. This means that Etisalat is not being transparent in their pricing.

"2.2.2 When a Licensee offers a service which is priced per a certain number of usage units or in another similar manner, that Licensee shall provide the functionality for consumers to know their available units."

(Taken from TRA Price Transparency Policy)   

Etisalat does not currently offer any method for tracking bandwidth usage. To be fair they do not actually have a bandwidth limit yet, however if they are offering people a service that will be limited in the near future it would be considered fair to provide consumers with this service right now so they may ascertain the accuracy and functionality of such a service and also tailor their internet usage to fit any future limits.

"2.3 General Publication Requirements
2.3.1 Licensees shall publish, in a form easily available to consumers,
the prices for its services offered to consumers.
2.3.2 The information shall be published in a manner that is up-to-date
and easy to understand.
2.3.3 Where Licensees make more than one service offer for the same
service, they shall make available the prices in a manner that enables
consumers to compare the various offers.
2.3.4 Licensees shall provide a means for consumers to contact licensees
for further price information."

(Taken from TRA Price Transparency Policy)   

"2.1 No marketing communication or practice shall, or be likely, to mislead, confuse or deceive consumers by inaccuracy, ambiguity, exaggeration, omission or otherwise."

(Taken from TRA Marketing and Communications Policy)   

Etisalat's elife packages are displayed on their website as UNLIMITED yet are going to be LIMITED.
I ask you, is it "easy to understand" or "accurate" when a service is offered as unlimited when it is actually going to be limited?



The dictionary definition of unlimited for those of you who are interested:

"un·lim·it·ed

 [uhn-lim-i-tid] 

–adjective

1.

not limited; unrestricted; unconfined: unlimited trade.

2.

boundless; infinite; vast: the unlimited skies.

3.

without any qualification or exception; unconditional."

The usage of the term 'unlimited' in telecommunications marketing has already proven contentious in other countries, yet the TRA has taken no action against Etisalat for it.

"11.1 References to prices, services, terms and conditions, or comparisons thereof, shall be clear and transparent and shall not mislead or deceive or be likely to mislead or deceive consumers."

(Taken from TRA Marketing and Communications Policy)

Obviously when Etisalat uses the language 'unlimited' consumers are going to be mislead into believing they are paying for an internet connection without limits when it will in fact have limits. 

"2.3 Any footnotes or disclaimers in marketing communications or practices
shall be readily visible and legible, audibly apparent and understandable
and shall not contradict, materially qualify or otherwise alter the basis of
the communication or practice."

(Taken from TRA Marketing and Communications Policy)

This limit is mentioned nowhere on their website. The only specific terms and conditions that I could find was a simple "terms and conditions apply" which appeared to be in reference a special offer, Etisalat did not expand upon the terms and conditions for that promotion on their website. Etisalat's terms and conditions PDF makes absolutely no mention of any future bandwidth limitations or fair usage policy and does not fairly warn consumers of what they may end up paying.

"8.1 Marketing communications and practices shall not exploit the credulity,
lack of knowledge or inexperience of consumers."

(Taken from TRA Marketing and Communications Policy)

This last part is what it all comes down to. Etisalat is offering a service which will be limited in the future and is not making adequate information available to consumers, furthermore, consumers who are not technically savvy will not understand the implementation of a fair usage policy on a connection that is described as "unlimited", especially when Etisalat has made little effort to inform customers of what the actual fair usage policy is and provide any solid information. Their usage of the term "UNLIMITED" is a sham and is deceiving and taking advantage of consumers who will be caught unaware when the fair usage policy is introduced. (Etisalat has already previously written on their site that the fair usage applies which would mean some customers believe the FUP is in effect when it currently isn't and this would be detrimental to people wanting to use their connection freely without fear of incurring extra costs)

Etisalat also refuses to offer telephone and internet services under seperate billing with eLife. I have read reports online of Etisalat forcing customers to abandon their Al Shamil internet service (which is just an internet service and does not include telephone connections) and this in itself is alarming. I have also been told by Etisalat's 101 number that some Etisalat business centers are no longer offering Al Shamil at all.

6.2.5 Anti-competitive bundling or tying – bundling or tying products or services offered in Relevant Markets, and which by doing so does or may restrict, prevent, or distort competition in one or more of those Relevant Markets or another Relevant Market;

(Taken from TRA Competition Safeguards Policy)

This means, hypothetically, if you moved house and only had eLife and no traditional copper services you would have to purchase phone and internet from your ISP (in a bundle) and would have no method to subscribe to each individually. Given the upcoming interconnection between Etisalat and Du this would mean a very anti-competitive situation in which you may have to purchase two phone lines to get better offers from different providers.

EDIT: It appears based upon information on du's website and their customer support line they are doing the same forced phone/internet bundling with their 'real broadband' packages.
du said on the phone that they have no information about what would be available (i.e. whether seperate telephone/internet connections would be offered) when the interconnection starts.

This potentially means (as a worst case scenario) at the start of the upcoming interconnection (apparently in a few weeks?) will leave customers already in 12 month contracts unable to usefully purchase individual services from other providers without doubling up on services they already have, although lets see what happens.

du and Etisalat's "real broadband" / eLife packages both come with 12 month contracts. For me as an Etisalat customer this is a problem. If I were to hypothetically sign up for eLife tomorrow, and then du made phone lines available in my area in 6 months time I would be disadvantaged for wanting to use the competitors services because I am in a 12 month contract that forcefully bundles both phone and internet services.

Additionally, du also said on the customer support line that there is no bandwidth limit on their 'real broadband' packages, they have also stated on twitter that there is no fair usage policy.

"6.2.9 Anti-competitive customer lock-in - locking-in customers through unduly long-term contracts, and which by doing so does or may restrict, prevent, or distort competition in a Relevant Market;"

(Taken from TRA Competition Safeguards Policy)

"2.1.2 Where a service is packaged with another service and/or product, licensees shall inform consumers of the price they would pay if they obtained that service and/or product from licensees separately and of any additional conditions or restrictions that apply."

(Taken from TRA Price Transparency Policy)   

What can you do? There are other TRA policies that do hopefully protect the consumer;

   

2.2.4 Licensees shall notify consumers individually, at least twenty-eight (28) calendar days prior to any price increase or any change that has the effect of a price increase.
2.2.5 Licensees shall offer consumers the opportunity to terminate their contracts without penalties before an increase in prices takes effect.

(Taken from TRA Price Transparency Policy)   

This means that when Etisalat changes their price they must announce it to consumers and you have the right to discontinue services without incurring any penalty for terminating your contract. However, as Etisalat seems intent on preventing people from making separate subscriptions to telephone/internet/etc you may find yourselves out of options in a country that supposedly doesn't have a telecommunications monopoly anymore.

Blackberry Shenanigans part 2: Security Forces Boogaloo

Reporters Without Borders is reporting that people have been held for spreading opposition to the government via BlackBerry Messenger...

"The Emirati authorities have been harassing and arresting users of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) who allegedly tried to organise a protest against an increase in the price of gasoline (one of the highest in the Arab world). The protest was eventually called off. BBM user Badr Ali Saiwad Al Dhohori, an 18-year-old resident of Ras Al Khaimah, has reportedly been held in Abu Dhabi since 15 July.
The authorities were able to trace the organiser, known as “Saud,” because he included his BlackBerry PIN in a BBM message he sent calling for the protest. They held Saud for a week and interrogated him to trace those he had been messaging. Accused of inciting opposition to the government, he has lost his job. At least five other members of the group have reportedly been summoned by the police or are still being sought.
“We call for an end to this government witch-hunt against BlackBerry Messenger users who tried to get their fellow citizens to join them in a protest,” Reporters Without Borders said. “These young people did nothing bad. At first they planned a peaceful demonstration but they ended up calling it off because they did not want to break the law. They must not be made to pay for the government’s dispute with BlackBerry’s services, which it cannot control as it would like.”
The press freedom organisation added: “Because they cannot decipher BlackBerry’s encrypted data and thereby gain access to its clients’ personal data, the security forces have decided to intimidate users in order to combat their potential for disseminating information. These summonses must stop. Al Dhohori and others potentially held at the moment in relation to this case must be freed without delay.”

More here: Wave of arrests of BlackBerry Messenger users (Reporters Without Borders)
And here: (localnewsuae) موقع: اعتقال اماراتيين على خلفية دعوتهم لتظاهرة سلمية احتجاجاً على اسعار البنزين

Links via @sultanalqassemi on twitter 

Blackberry Shenanigans

The National is reporting that the future of BlackBerry within the UAE may be in doubt...

BlackBerry is operating beyond the UAE law, the government’s official news service reported today, throwing doubt on the future of the mobile email and messaging service.

BlackBerry’s suite of communication services such as e-mail and BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) use internal networks that are encrypted under one of the world’s most complex codes.

BlackBerry has about 500,000 subscribers in the Emirates, not counting visitors who roam through the airports.

BlackBerry “operates beyond the jurisdiction of national legislation”, according to a statement issued today by the state-run news service WAM. This is because it “is the only device operating in the UAE that immediately exports its data offshore and is managed by a foreign, commercial organisation”.

“As a result of how BlackBerry data is managed and stored, in their current form, certain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions,” the statement added.

More here: BlackBerry is 'beyond the law' says government (The National)

To read some info about the kind of stuff kicking around on BlackBerry Messenger service I recommend taking a look at Sultan Al Qassemi's twitter feed (e.g. this tweet, this tweet and this tweet

And I'm sure we need no reminder of Etisalat's efforts to "spy" on UAE BlackBerry users last year. (link courtesy anon)

EDIT: In case the TRA's claim that they are doing this to "[safeguard] our consumers" sounds familiar, that's because it is the same reasoning they used when trying to explain why Skype is blocked in the UAE.

Fuel price to increase again

"Abu Dhabi: Local petroleum products distributors have decided to increase the price of a litre of petrol by 20 fils from Thursday, July 15, at all fueling stations across the UAE.
A statement issued on Monday by the distributing companies said the increase is part of liberalisation of prices and their gradual rise. “The announced rise comes within efforts to gradually mitigate accumulated and growing losses these companies are sustaining due to continuous surge in cost of the product,” the statement added."

More here: Petrol prices to go up by 20 fils (Gulf News)

(Link via AdamFlinter on twitter)

Emaar sued for torture and false imprisonment

"Dubai based Emaar Properties best known for building the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, has been sued in California for torture and false imprisonment by American businessman Lionel Lombard. United States District Court, Eastern District of California, Case 2:10-at-00928 LOMBARD v. EMAAR USA et al.

Lombard a former partner in a Dubai public relations firm complained about Apartheid and treatment of foreign workers at one of Emaar’s flagship properties, The Springs. Lombard, an American citizen, was repeatedly harassed by Emaar’s security guards because of his stance. After he took his case directly to Emaar’s chairman, Mohammed Ali Alabbar, Lombard was imprisoned for almost two years, beaten and tortured in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

All charges against Lombard were dropped in February 2010 without explanation. Non citizens are often imprisoned in Dubai at the whim of officials or due to business disputes. Despite attempts by Dubai to portray itself as a progressive business and tourist destination, the reality is that hundreds of non citizens are jailed each year due to minor civil disputes. Emaar and Alabbar became incensed at Lombard after local media picked up his story."

More here: Builder of World’s Tallest Building Accused of Torture & Racism (Peace FM Online)

(link via secretdubai on twitter)