tions on how Internet cafés should be designed;
these instructions include the height, depth, and
width of partitions between computers.
Temporary and event-based blocking
Some countries block Web sites at sensitive political moments. As stated previously, in 2006
Bahrain blocked several Web sites in the run-up
to the country’s parliamentary elections and
Yemen banned access to several media and
local politics Web sites ahead of the country’s
presidential elections.
Another example of temporary blocking
mentioned earlier is the banning of access to the
VoIP service Skype in Jordan and Google Earth in
Bahrain in 2006.
Control without filters
Several countries in the region do not have technical filtering in place, or they selectively filter
sensitive content. This, however, does not necessarily mean that there is no media censorship in
these countries. Citizens in these countries are
able to enjoy unfettered access to the Internet
because filtering is either very selective or nonexistent. But sweeping media laws lead to pervasive self-censorship and, in some cases, detention. The intimidating laws discourage users from
engaging in political and social conversations
online.
Jordan, for example, blocks very few Web
sites, but media laws curb the freedom of the
press and encourage some measure of self-censorship in cyberspace. 10 Citizens have reportedly been questioned and arrested for Web content
they have authored. 11 Similarly, the Egyptian government no longer blocks Web sites, but it has
detained people for their online activities. On
February 22, 2007, a court in Alexandria sentenced a blogger to four years in prison for
“incitement to hate Muslims” and “insulting the
president.” 12
The Iraqi government does not block Web
sites, but the war there makes it difficult for people to access the Internet and makes it dangerous to express political opinions online.
Internet censorship: The users’ response
Users may exploit alternative technologies to circumvent filtering systems when censorship
imposed by ISPs restricts access to content. In
Saudi Arabia, for example, 93 percent of Internet
users regularly try to access blocked Web sites,
according to an official at King Abdul Aziz City for
Science and Technology (KACST) once responsible for overseeing the country’s filtering system. 13
Many Web sites that discuss sensitive
issues and feel that they are likely to be blocked
use services such as Yahoo! Groups as part of
their contingency plans. Once the Web sites are
blocked by ISPs, users continue to exchange
content via e-mail. Because it is very difficult for
ISPs to filter e-mail discussions, group conversation continues to be virtually uncensored.
Other Web sites and discussion forums post
tutorials for their visitors that describe how to use
circumvention tools to bypass local filtering systems even before they are actually blocked. One
Arabic political Web site’s home page once read,
“Click here to enter our Web site and click here to
learn how to access us once we are blocked.”
Another trick used by Internet users is the
dissemination of controversial content in a large
number of Web sites that are unknown to the
ISPs. When the novel Girls of Riyadh was banned
in Saudi Arabia, for example, the full text was
posted in tens of Saudi Arabian forums and
blogs that have low visibility. Although this is a
violation of copyright, it is also an example of how
banned content is being distributed and is evidence that blocking the flow of information is not
as easy as was once thought.
Some technologically sophisticated user
groups went as far as developing their own circumvention tools. In fact, a special Web browser
once emerged on the Internet that enabled users
to access blocked Jihadi-oriented Web sites.
Regional Overviews
211
these instructions include the height, depth, and
width of partitions between computers.
Temporary and event-based blocking
Some countries block Web sites at sensitive political moments. As stated previously, in 2006
Bahrain blocked several Web sites in the run-up
to the country’s parliamentary elections and
Yemen banned access to several media and
local politics Web sites ahead of the country’s
presidential elections.
Another example of temporary blocking
mentioned earlier is the banning of access to the
VoIP service Skype in Jordan and Google Earth in
Bahrain in 2006.
Control without filters
Several countries in the region do not have technical filtering in place, or they selectively filter
sensitive content. This, however, does not necessarily mean that there is no media censorship in
these countries. Citizens in these countries are
able to enjoy unfettered access to the Internet
because filtering is either very selective or nonexistent. But sweeping media laws lead to pervasive self-censorship and, in some cases, detention. The intimidating laws discourage users from
engaging in political and social conversations
online.
Jordan, for example, blocks very few Web
sites, but media laws curb the freedom of the
press and encourage some measure of self-censorship in cyberspace. 10 Citizens have reportedly been questioned and arrested for Web content
they have authored. 11 Similarly, the Egyptian government no longer blocks Web sites, but it has
detained people for their online activities. On
February 22, 2007, a court in Alexandria sentenced a blogger to four years in prison for
“incitement to hate Muslims” and “insulting the
president.” 12
The Iraqi government does not block Web
sites, but the war there makes it difficult for people to access the Internet and makes it dangerous to express political opinions online.
Internet censorship: The users’ response
Users may exploit alternative technologies to circumvent filtering systems when censorship
imposed by ISPs restricts access to content. In
Saudi Arabia, for example, 93 percent of Internet
users regularly try to access blocked Web sites,
according to an official at King Abdul Aziz City for
Science and Technology (KACST) once responsible for overseeing the country’s filtering system. 13
Many Web sites that discuss sensitive
issues and feel that they are likely to be blocked
use services such as Yahoo! Groups as part of
their contingency plans. Once the Web sites are
blocked by ISPs, users continue to exchange
content via e-mail. Because it is very difficult for
ISPs to filter e-mail discussions, group conversation continues to be virtually uncensored.
Other Web sites and discussion forums post
tutorials for their visitors that describe how to use
circumvention tools to bypass local filtering systems even before they are actually blocked. One
Arabic political Web site’s home page once read,
“Click here to enter our Web site and click here to
learn how to access us once we are blocked.”
Another trick used by Internet users is the
dissemination of controversial content in a large
number of Web sites that are unknown to the
ISPs. When the novel Girls of Riyadh was banned
in Saudi Arabia, for example, the full text was
posted in tens of Saudi Arabian forums and
blogs that have low visibility. Although this is a
violation of copyright, it is also an example of how
banned content is being distributed and is evidence that blocking the flow of information is not
as easy as was once thought.
Some technologically sophisticated user
groups went as far as developing their own circumvention tools. In fact, a special Web browser
once emerged on the Internet that enabled users
to access blocked Jihadi-oriented Web sites.
Regional Overviews
211