the country’s first Arabic-language blog platform.
22
Though largely free of filtration, posters
generally avoid “red line” topics such as Western
Sahara, defamation of royal authority, and
defamation of Islam. 23
In the last few years, the Moroccan government has reportedly begun to block access to
Web sites run by fundamentalist Islamic groups
and Web sites that advocate for the independence of Western Sahara. 24 This filtering regime
appears to be less than comprehensive, however, as many related sites go unblocked.
Furthermore, groups and individuals who are
unable to express their views in the traditional
media have increasingly turned to the Internet to
voice their opinions. 25 However, there is growing
religious pressure to block explicit material such
as pornography. 26
Legal and regulatory frameworks
The Moroccan government held a monopoly on
the country’s telecommunications sector until a
privatization initiative that began in 1997. 27 The
ANRT was founded in 1998 and has encouraged
private companies to offer competitively priced
services, including ISPs and cybercafés. 28 The
ANRT grants licenses to companies that wish to
run ISPs, but individuals who want to obtain an
Internet account do not need to obtain
approval. 29 The government does not yet appear
to have taken action against ISPs for account
holders’ activities or to monitor sites accessed by
account holders or customers of cybercafés. 30
However, as mentioned earlier, Morocco is a
consistent censor of the independent media, frequently fining newspapers and arresting journalists who report on human rights, politics, or
Islam. 31 Current laws criminalize criticizing the
monarchy or Morocco’s claim to Western
Sahara. 32 The antiterrorism bill that was passed
following suicide bombings in Casablanca in
2003 grants the government sweeping legal
power to arrest journalists or to filter Web sites
that are deemed to “disrupt public order by intimidation, force, violence, fear or terror.” 33 In recent
years, the Moroccan government appears to be
growing increasingly proactive about shutting
down newspapers and imprisoning reporters; in
January 2007, a newsweekly was ordered shut
down for two months after publishing jokes about
Islam and a reporter and editor were given threeyear suspended prison sentences. 34
Restrictions on freedom of expression
reportedly have been extended to the Internet in
recent years. According to Reporters Without
Borders, in November 2005 the Moroccan government began blocking access to several major
Web sites that support independence for the
Western Sahara, a decision that was made either
by the country’s communications ministry or its
interior ministry. 35 Shortly thereafter, Morocco
reportedly cut off access to www.anonymizer
.com, a Web site that allows Internet users to
access banned sites from within the country. It
has also been reported that the Web sites of
Islamic fundamentalist organizations have been
blocked, particularly those run by a fundamentalist group called the Justice and Charity
Organization. 36
ONI testing results
ONI carried out testing of Moroccan Internet service on the principal Internet provider, Maroc
Telecom, and a smaller ISP, MTDS. The results of
the testing found blocking of a small number of
sites. Blocking was found primarily on sites promoting the independence of Western Sahara,
such as www.saadasahara.com and www
.sahara-occidental.com, as well as the Web sites
for the Union of Sahrawi Journalists and Writers
(www.upes.org), the Association of Families of
Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared (www
.afapredesa.org), and the General Trade Union of
the Western Sahara Petition (www.umdraiga
.com/eucoco2004/documentosytalleres/tallersin
dical.htm). Two blog hosting sites, www.haloscan
.com and www.livejournal.com, were blocked as
well. Finally, ONI also found that two anonymizer
Country Summaries
335
22
Though largely free of filtration, posters
generally avoid “red line” topics such as Western
Sahara, defamation of royal authority, and
defamation of Islam. 23
In the last few years, the Moroccan government has reportedly begun to block access to
Web sites run by fundamentalist Islamic groups
and Web sites that advocate for the independence of Western Sahara. 24 This filtering regime
appears to be less than comprehensive, however, as many related sites go unblocked.
Furthermore, groups and individuals who are
unable to express their views in the traditional
media have increasingly turned to the Internet to
voice their opinions. 25 However, there is growing
religious pressure to block explicit material such
as pornography. 26
Legal and regulatory frameworks
The Moroccan government held a monopoly on
the country’s telecommunications sector until a
privatization initiative that began in 1997. 27 The
ANRT was founded in 1998 and has encouraged
private companies to offer competitively priced
services, including ISPs and cybercafés. 28 The
ANRT grants licenses to companies that wish to
run ISPs, but individuals who want to obtain an
Internet account do not need to obtain
approval. 29 The government does not yet appear
to have taken action against ISPs for account
holders’ activities or to monitor sites accessed by
account holders or customers of cybercafés. 30
However, as mentioned earlier, Morocco is a
consistent censor of the independent media, frequently fining newspapers and arresting journalists who report on human rights, politics, or
Islam. 31 Current laws criminalize criticizing the
monarchy or Morocco’s claim to Western
Sahara. 32 The antiterrorism bill that was passed
following suicide bombings in Casablanca in
2003 grants the government sweeping legal
power to arrest journalists or to filter Web sites
that are deemed to “disrupt public order by intimidation, force, violence, fear or terror.” 33 In recent
years, the Moroccan government appears to be
growing increasingly proactive about shutting
down newspapers and imprisoning reporters; in
January 2007, a newsweekly was ordered shut
down for two months after publishing jokes about
Islam and a reporter and editor were given threeyear suspended prison sentences. 34
Restrictions on freedom of expression
reportedly have been extended to the Internet in
recent years. According to Reporters Without
Borders, in November 2005 the Moroccan government began blocking access to several major
Web sites that support independence for the
Western Sahara, a decision that was made either
by the country’s communications ministry or its
interior ministry. 35 Shortly thereafter, Morocco
reportedly cut off access to www.anonymizer
.com, a Web site that allows Internet users to
access banned sites from within the country. It
has also been reported that the Web sites of
Islamic fundamentalist organizations have been
blocked, particularly those run by a fundamentalist group called the Justice and Charity
Organization. 36
ONI testing results
ONI carried out testing of Moroccan Internet service on the principal Internet provider, Maroc
Telecom, and a smaller ISP, MTDS. The results of
the testing found blocking of a small number of
sites. Blocking was found primarily on sites promoting the independence of Western Sahara,
such as www.saadasahara.com and www
.sahara-occidental.com, as well as the Web sites
for the Union of Sahrawi Journalists and Writers
(www.upes.org), the Association of Families of
Sahrawi Prisoners and Disappeared (www
.afapredesa.org), and the General Trade Union of
the Western Sahara Petition (www.umdraiga
.com/eucoco2004/documentosytalleres/tallersin
dical.htm). Two blog hosting sites, www.haloscan
.com and www.livejournal.com, were blocked as
well. Finally, ONI also found that two anonymizer
Country Summaries
335