Many states in the region were found to
block political content, or to have blocked such
content in the past. For example, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia consistently block Web
sites of opposition groups. Egypt has intermittently blocked the Web site of the Muslim
Brotherhood, an Islamist group critical of the government, as well as the site hosting the online
version of the Labor Party’s newspaper, which
had previously been banned in its hard copy.
Yemen temporarily blocked political Web sites in
the run-up to the 2006 presidential elections,
while Bahrain did the same ahead of parliamentary elections. One political Web site was found
to be blocked in Jordan.
Several countries, including Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, and Tunisia, also restrict access to material from human rights organizations, particularly
sites that have published reports that are especially critical about those countries.
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Communications services have been liberalized
in several countries in the Middle East and North
Africa in the past few years, and there are
attempts to liberalize more markets in other
countries. Some countries have passed legislation that regulates the telecommunications sector
and allows the participation of the private sector
in the communication industry. The past few
years have also witnessed the establishment of
telecommunications regulatory authorities.
Most of the countries in the region do not
have Internet-specific legislation, though some
countries have started to adopt these laws.
In February 2006 the United Arab Emirates
issued a federal law designed to combat cybercrime. This law criminalizes certain online activities such as “setting up a website or publishing
information for groups calling for facilitating and
promoting ideas in breach of the general order
and public decency,” and “setting up a website
or publishing information for a terrorist group
under fake names with intent to facilitate contacts
with their leadership, or to promote their ideologies and finance their activities, or to publish
information on how to make explosives or any
other substances to be used in terrorist attacks.” 6
In October 2006 Saudi Arabia also issued a
law that criminalizes, among other things,
“[e]avesdropping on, tapping or obstructing
information sent through the Internet or a computer without legal justification,” “[d]efaming others or harming them through the different means
of information technology,” and “[e]stablishing a
Web site for terrorist organizations and/or publishing it in order to aid the leaders of these
organizations or any of their members, or promoting their ideas, or financing them, or publishing how to make explosives or other weapons
used in terrorist acts.” 7
Journalists and citizen journalists have been
detained under emergency laws, vague media
laws, or penal codes. Others have faced extralegal
harassment and intimidation from security agencies. Governments have further blocked access
to new services, citing security concerns. In 2006
the voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) service
Skype and Google Earth were briefly banned in
Jordan and Bahrain, respectively. In both cases,
the government cited security concerns.
The use of Internet is also regulated by ISPs’
terms of use that in some cases mandate that
users not carry out activities that contradict the
social, cultural, political, religious, or economic
values of the state. In some cases, users are
asked to sign written agreements to this effect.
Transparency
Some countries in the region openly acknowledge their practice of Internet filtering. Saudi
Arabia and Sudan publish details about what
they filter, how, and why. They also make available information about their Internet filtering policies, procedures, and other related materials,
such as the impact of their filtering systems on
connectivity. An Iranian official recently boasted
that Iran has censored ten million Web sites, and
Regional Overviews
209
block political content, or to have blocked such
content in the past. For example, Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, Syria, and Tunisia consistently block Web
sites of opposition groups. Egypt has intermittently blocked the Web site of the Muslim
Brotherhood, an Islamist group critical of the government, as well as the site hosting the online
version of the Labor Party’s newspaper, which
had previously been banned in its hard copy.
Yemen temporarily blocked political Web sites in
the run-up to the 2006 presidential elections,
while Bahrain did the same ahead of parliamentary elections. One political Web site was found
to be blocked in Jordan.
Several countries, including Bahrain, Saudi
Arabia, and Tunisia, also restrict access to material from human rights organizations, particularly
sites that have published reports that are especially critical about those countries.
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Communications services have been liberalized
in several countries in the Middle East and North
Africa in the past few years, and there are
attempts to liberalize more markets in other
countries. Some countries have passed legislation that regulates the telecommunications sector
and allows the participation of the private sector
in the communication industry. The past few
years have also witnessed the establishment of
telecommunications regulatory authorities.
Most of the countries in the region do not
have Internet-specific legislation, though some
countries have started to adopt these laws.
In February 2006 the United Arab Emirates
issued a federal law designed to combat cybercrime. This law criminalizes certain online activities such as “setting up a website or publishing
information for groups calling for facilitating and
promoting ideas in breach of the general order
and public decency,” and “setting up a website
or publishing information for a terrorist group
under fake names with intent to facilitate contacts
with their leadership, or to promote their ideologies and finance their activities, or to publish
information on how to make explosives or any
other substances to be used in terrorist attacks.” 6
In October 2006 Saudi Arabia also issued a
law that criminalizes, among other things,
“[e]avesdropping on, tapping or obstructing
information sent through the Internet or a computer without legal justification,” “[d]efaming others or harming them through the different means
of information technology,” and “[e]stablishing a
Web site for terrorist organizations and/or publishing it in order to aid the leaders of these
organizations or any of their members, or promoting their ideas, or financing them, or publishing how to make explosives or other weapons
used in terrorist acts.” 7
Journalists and citizen journalists have been
detained under emergency laws, vague media
laws, or penal codes. Others have faced extralegal
harassment and intimidation from security agencies. Governments have further blocked access
to new services, citing security concerns. In 2006
the voice-over Internet protocol (VoIP) service
Skype and Google Earth were briefly banned in
Jordan and Bahrain, respectively. In both cases,
the government cited security concerns.
The use of Internet is also regulated by ISPs’
terms of use that in some cases mandate that
users not carry out activities that contradict the
social, cultural, political, religious, or economic
values of the state. In some cases, users are
asked to sign written agreements to this effect.
Transparency
Some countries in the region openly acknowledge their practice of Internet filtering. Saudi
Arabia and Sudan publish details about what
they filter, how, and why. They also make available information about their Internet filtering policies, procedures, and other related materials,
such as the impact of their filtering systems on
connectivity. An Iranian official recently boasted
that Iran has censored ten million Web sites, and
Regional Overviews
209