Job Discussion Forums

[cmp45]

This morning I discovered that Saudi Gov't has blocked access to my hotmail accounts. Anyone else experience this problem?

I tried to several different internet routes, all end up being blocked!

What is the purpose behind this move to block hotmail?

[sheikher]

SOUND THE ALARM!

http://www.aawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=7&id=19528


Saudi Arabia: 300,000 Requests to Block Websites Annually

15/01/2010
By Iman al Khaddaf

Dammam, Asharq Al-Awsat- There are between 700 and 1000 requests from internet users to block websites in Saudi Arabia per day, a source at the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) told Asharq Al-Awsat. An average of 850 requests per day means that there are 300,000 requests annually. The same source confirmed that over 93 percent of blocked websites are pornographic.

Sultan al Malik, Public Relations and International Affairs Manager at the CITC stated that there are approximately 200 requests per day to unblock websites, meaning that for every four requests to block a certain website there is only one request to unblock websites.

�The CITC happily looks into every request it receives from the public (whether it is to block or unblock a site) in no longer than 48 hours before making the appropriate decision that is in line with applied regulations,� explained al Malik.

Al Malik further stated that �the majority of blocked websites in the kingdom are pornographic. They make up over 93 percent of the overall blocked sites, whereas five percent [of blocked websites are those that help] evade the filtering system. The remainder of blocked websites are classified as being inconsistent with the applied regulations in Saudi Arabia, some of which promote the use of drugs, gambling etc.�

Asked about the mechanism that is used to block websites, al Malik said, �Blocking or filtering websites on the internet has been enacted due to the emergence of websites that substantially harm the accepted set of values and morals in many societies and they are also a security hazard. One of the aims of blocking websites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to protect internet users against the harm caused by some pornographic sites that promote vice, sites that affect national security or mock religion.�

Al Malik added, �The CITC is authorized to deal directly with pornographic websites which promote vice and promote gambling, as well as websites that work on penetrating the filter system. The other sites are the responsibility of a committee made up of a number of other government bodies. The CITC receives the [domain] names of sites that are to be blocked by this committee before adding them to the filtering lists. Operators update those filtering lists on a daily basis and the CITC follows up on the process.�

Regarding the nature of blocked sites, al Malik explained that they fall under two categories, the first of which is commercial sites: �The CITC gets them from a specialist international company with which a contract is signed to provide the CITC with updated lists on a daily basis. The list comprises of more than 50 website categories and so the CITC assumes the task of blocking sites that go against our faith and traditions, including pornographic, drug-related and gambling websites.�

As for the second category, al Malik stated that it includes �a local list prepared by the CITC. The majority of sites on this list are mainly received from internet users via online forms available on the following site: internet.gov.sa�

However, despite the efforts exerted by the CITC in countering sites that are harmful to religion and morality, some Saudis have attempted to break �the proxy� to gain access to blocked sites by using foreign programs and websites. Meanwhile, a considerable number of internet users in Saudi Arabia have criticized the absence of set standards for the policy of blocking websites, particularly when cultural, intellectual or discussion forums are being blocked, as some of them do not contain any content that contradicts Saudi values and morals.

Results of a recent study conducted by the CITC have shown that the filtering of information is a concern for 33 percent of internet users in Saudi Arabia. Males form the larger portion of this percentage. Around 31 percent of the study sample argued that the main reason for this concern is because of the blocked sites, whereas 75 percent of the sample believes that the current filtering system is beyond reasonable limits, according to the study results.

It is worth mentioning that the rate of internet users among the Saudi population increased at the end of 2008 to approximately 36 percent compared to only 30.5 percent in 2007. These figures were posted nearly two weeks ago on the online CITC bulletin. The Eastern Province had the highest level of internet usage out of Saudi Arabia�s administrative regions, followed by Riyadh with 37 percent.


-------> Your students, I'm sure, are quite proficient in firewall renovation!

Alternatively: http://www.internet.gov.sa/resources/block-unblock-request/block/

[cmp45]

Either the powers that be were very efficient in UN-blocking the site or it was just a computer glitch...as it appears, I am now able to access hotmail... ... Henny Penny strikes again!

[sheikher]

Is that United Nations prowling around in one of its member's affairs again?

SHAME!

[lcanupp1964]

Not a new tip to most, but the newbies might like it...

Download "Hotspot Shield", a free software program that enables a person to go to any website. I have been using this software in Jeddah for 2 years.

[Cleopatra]

I tried to log on to Hotmail this morning and was unsuccesful. Thought nothing of it as Hotmail is frequently down. Tried again 2 hours later and managed to access it with no problems.

[cmp45]

Yes at times I also experience the usual problems with hotmail, but this time when I tried to log on, the offical Saudi website that says that site has been blocked kept coming up when I tried to access hotmail. This is what made me wonder. Now it seems to be okay.

[Sheikh N Bake]

Here's a (possibly) blocking-related question that intrigues me. When downloading movies through Vuze.com using the available bittorrent sources, in Saudi I receive total rubbish (no movies or TV shows of any consequence) on all of the sources except one, "Isohunt." All my movies come from Isohunt. Just now, however, I was in a Southeast Asian country where ALL of the bittorent sources returned "good" stuff--and more than Isohunt. Good movies, in other words, and a wider range. So the Saudi authorities are blocking all of the bittorrents except one? If it's a piracy issue, why leave one of them open for downloading?

[lcanupp1964]

Dear Sheikh N Bake,

I use Vuze.com for downloading TV shows and movies. I had the exact same problem that you are having. I found out that if you open Hotspot Shield and then open Vuze, your searches will be 1000% better. Hotspot will trick the web servers in KSA by giving a false ISP address from outside the Kingdom.

[veiledsentiments]

[Cleopatra]

I say Hotmail is often 'down' in the sense that you try to log on and the server is too busy. I do find that happens fairly often, though not often enough for it to be a problem and usually if you try to log on even a few minutes later you can do so. In any case, it's quite different from the site actually being blocked, which does not appear to be the case with Hotmail in KSA.

[veiledsentiments]

Perhaps that is affected by where you are, rather than Hotmail itself. Not that I understand the process. But it always immediately opens for me.

VS

[sheikher]

I posit that virtuous computer literate unemployed Saudi youth who are not boy racers, and "unemployable" women, contribute significantly to 300,000 requests.

Implicated here is the challenge for Saudization, Uber-Flavour-of-the-Month!

[cmp45]

[sheikher]

A blocked website might be an idiosyncrasy exclusive to ethernet elves of your particular server.

This evening a popular neighbourhood chocolate-and-coffee cafe's server blocked (government's alert) access to sites I was able to access 30 minutes later at home. The same cafe's server offered only a New York Times banner advertising paid online subscription to each article I accessed free, as always, later.

Bizarre!