Job Discussion Forums

elmilehimaestro · Joined: 09 Aug 2009 Posts: 4

I will be teaching in the UAE soon...

I will also buy a laptop while I am there.

I have a question: Does the government censor certain websites? If so, what kind? Thanks!

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

Etisalat tries to block as many porn sites and anti-islamic sites as possible. They also try to prevent people from using Skype or other VOIP programs but there are work arounds - probably someone at your workplace can assist you in getting it downloaded.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

They also block "Hell's Angels" websites. Most unreasonable.

tiberio · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 56

don't worry, for $40 per year or so you will find most reliable VPN software to circumvent the censorship.

there is a report by opennet on UAE internet censorship available here http://opennet.net/studies/uae

it is not as bad as it used to be and sometimes has weird glitches, some of the torrent websites are open again after they were blocked for quite some time, social networking websites come and go and sometimes the most normal websites are blocked for no logical reason.

but, no need to worry, just ask your colleagues about VPN stuff, a lot of people have it, for flickr there is also a flickr addon to use, just look at the uae specific groups on flickr, they must have all gotten there somehow.

anyway, christopher davidson predicted internet censorship would stop sometime in the near future, he might be right though it does seem that many users actually prefer having it to keep their kids from accessing the wrong stuff, but then again, schools and colleges seem to be the best source of information on VPNs and stuff and many of my students sent me links to their photos on flickr or added me to their contacts there...

edsegio · Joined: 07 Aug 2009 Posts: 5

Is Flikr still blocked? I've been out of the country for 3 months so I'm not sure.

It's not just anti-Islamic sites that are blocked, but even some that discuss (perceived) anti-Islamic topics, such us the Wikipedia page about the movie "Fitna".

tiberio · Joined: 18 May 2006 Posts: 56

yeah, flickr still is. blocking stuff like a page on fitna i guess is understandable though...

wannago · Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 85

If you want to find internet censorship, you need go no further than this forum. Right Mods? Wink

anaxiforminges · Joined: 15 Apr 2009 Posts: 136 Location: UAE

If you can't access a given site, log on to the many proxy sites that allow you to bypass the censors. Englishtunnel.com is one such site. It even lets you choose the level of anonymity.

Never Ceased To Be Amazed · Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 5:13 am Post subject:

That site is now blocked by Etisalat...

NCTBA

homeless vet · Joined: 01 Apr 2009 Posts: 80

I've come up with a new name for the telecommunications monolith here...
"Itsucksalot."

adorabilly · Joined: 20 May 2006 Posts: 430 Location: Ras Al Khaimah

For those of you who don't know, apparently Etisilat (itsucksalot) does moniter forums and other places where people post. If you have a proxy service... don't post the name on an open forum. I have seen several that have been mentioned in the past (which worked) that have been banned within a week of being posted on forums.

ardiles81 · Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 71

As per previous posts it isn't a big deal if you can live without your porn and gambling habits which truth be told is what most of the Interweb seems to be about anyway.
Very Happy

johnslat · Posted: Sun Sep 27, 2009 7:27 pm Post subject:

Dear ardiles81,

"it isn't a big deal if you can live without your porn and gambling habits which truth be told is what most of the Interweb seems to be about anyway."

The "Tnterweb" - heck, aren't those most of what life itself seems to be about?

Except for Dave's, of course (or is this a porn site?)

Regards,
John

ItsJustMe · Joined: 29 May 2009 Posts: 34