Internet, started to create and disseminate information. The Internet, along with satellite television
networks, has effectively broken the monopoly of
many Middle Eastern and North African governments. The availability and accessibility of information, as well as the ability to create and disseminate information anonymously, has led to a
sense of freedom among many Arab Internet
users.
Internet in the Middle East and North
Africa
Though some countries in the region enjoy widespread and easy access to the Internet, the
region is also home to some of the least-connected countries in the world. While in 2006
some 61 percent of Israelis and 35 percent of
Emiratis had regular access to the Internet,
Internet penetration still lags behind in most of
the region. In fact, according to the International
Telecommunication Union, less than 4 percent of
people in the Arab world use the Internet regularly. 1 In many countries, poor infrastructure along
with economic barriers remain the biggest obstacle to expanding access to the Internet. In
Yemen, for example, less than 1 percent of the
population uses the Internet (there are 0.87 users
per 100 inhabitants), and there are only 300,000
personal computers in the country (1.5 per 100
inhabitants). 2 In Syria fewer than six out of one
hundred people regularly use the Internet. In Iraq
the Internet penetration rate is 0.1 percent.
Interestingly, broadband Internet access is
growing faster in the Middle East and Africa than
in any other region in the world. The number of
broadband subscribers grew by 38 percent in
2006, while the number of those subscribers
using DSL access technology grew by 82 percent, to 4.3 million. 3
The highest rates of broadband penetration
in the region are found in Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates, and Lebanon. Half of all households in
Qatar, almost one-third in the United Arab
Emirates, and one-quarter in Lebanon have a
broadband connection. Three countries—
Tunisia, Qatar, and Egypt—experienced a
remarkable broadband growth rate, doubling in a
year. At the same time, DSL subscriptions in the
United Arab Emirates increased by almost twothirds. 4
State response: Censorship
As the Internet has proven to be a new space for
the extension of power and for different nonstate
players to compete for influence, states have perceived this as a potential threat. The response
has been filtration and surveillance. For the many
restrictive governments of the Middle East and
North Africa, embracing the Internet meant providing citizens with access to troubling content
and ideas, along with new methods to circumvent traditional controls on life and discourse. In
reaction, many governments in the region have
chosen to restrict online freedom, giving the
Middle East and North Africa one of the most
repressive Web environments in the world. The
Middle East and North Africa is home to five of
the thirteen countries listed as enemies of the
Internet by Reporters Sans Frontieres. 5
ONI testing has confirmed that governments
and Internet service providers (ISPs) have
blocked content they have designated as morally offensive, in violation of public ethics and order,
or critical of governments, leaders, or ruling families.
To one degree or another, the Gulf countries,
as well as Iran, Sudan, Tunsia, and Yemen, block
content related to pornography, homosexuality,
dating, and provocative attire. Some of these
countries also censor topics considered sensitive
or forbidden under Islam, such as gambling,
alcohol, and drugs, along with Web sites that feature nudity, even if in a non-erotic context. A few
countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates, ban access to Web sites that are
critical of Islam and those that promote conversion to Christianity.
208
Regional Overviews
networks, has effectively broken the monopoly of
many Middle Eastern and North African governments. The availability and accessibility of information, as well as the ability to create and disseminate information anonymously, has led to a
sense of freedom among many Arab Internet
users.
Internet in the Middle East and North
Africa
Though some countries in the region enjoy widespread and easy access to the Internet, the
region is also home to some of the least-connected countries in the world. While in 2006
some 61 percent of Israelis and 35 percent of
Emiratis had regular access to the Internet,
Internet penetration still lags behind in most of
the region. In fact, according to the International
Telecommunication Union, less than 4 percent of
people in the Arab world use the Internet regularly. 1 In many countries, poor infrastructure along
with economic barriers remain the biggest obstacle to expanding access to the Internet. In
Yemen, for example, less than 1 percent of the
population uses the Internet (there are 0.87 users
per 100 inhabitants), and there are only 300,000
personal computers in the country (1.5 per 100
inhabitants). 2 In Syria fewer than six out of one
hundred people regularly use the Internet. In Iraq
the Internet penetration rate is 0.1 percent.
Interestingly, broadband Internet access is
growing faster in the Middle East and Africa than
in any other region in the world. The number of
broadband subscribers grew by 38 percent in
2006, while the number of those subscribers
using DSL access technology grew by 82 percent, to 4.3 million. 3
The highest rates of broadband penetration
in the region are found in Qatar, the United Arab
Emirates, and Lebanon. Half of all households in
Qatar, almost one-third in the United Arab
Emirates, and one-quarter in Lebanon have a
broadband connection. Three countries—
Tunisia, Qatar, and Egypt—experienced a
remarkable broadband growth rate, doubling in a
year. At the same time, DSL subscriptions in the
United Arab Emirates increased by almost twothirds. 4
State response: Censorship
As the Internet has proven to be a new space for
the extension of power and for different nonstate
players to compete for influence, states have perceived this as a potential threat. The response
has been filtration and surveillance. For the many
restrictive governments of the Middle East and
North Africa, embracing the Internet meant providing citizens with access to troubling content
and ideas, along with new methods to circumvent traditional controls on life and discourse. In
reaction, many governments in the region have
chosen to restrict online freedom, giving the
Middle East and North Africa one of the most
repressive Web environments in the world. The
Middle East and North Africa is home to five of
the thirteen countries listed as enemies of the
Internet by Reporters Sans Frontieres. 5
ONI testing has confirmed that governments
and Internet service providers (ISPs) have
blocked content they have designated as morally offensive, in violation of public ethics and order,
or critical of governments, leaders, or ruling families.
To one degree or another, the Gulf countries,
as well as Iran, Sudan, Tunsia, and Yemen, block
content related to pornography, homosexuality,
dating, and provocative attire. Some of these
countries also censor topics considered sensitive
or forbidden under Islam, such as gambling,
alcohol, and drugs, along with Web sites that feature nudity, even if in a non-erotic context. A few
countries, such as Saudi Arabia and the United
Arab Emirates, ban access to Web sites that are
critical of Islam and those that promote conversion to Christianity.
208
Regional Overviews