UAE: An Expanding Censorship Regime?

Dubai police are pursuing a plan to censor upwards of 500 search terms deemed offensive in an effort to block access to certain websites, AME Info reports. Though no progress has yet been made, according to Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, this follows the Dubai Police’s statement in April of their intention to protect the youth of UAE from “pornographic” and “anti-religious” video content on YouTube.

At present, Internet censorship in the United Arab Emirates focuses on two distinct areas: pornography and criticism of the government, according to BBC News. Blocked access to certain sites yields an explanation that the content is “inconsistent with the religious, cultural, political, and moral values of the United Arab Emirates.” Although a majority of the population welcomes filtration of pornography sites, the situation is different for politically oriented cases.

Dubai’s Internet filtration regime could expand. In March, reports surfaced suggesting that Internet café users could have their personal details recorded and kept on file, supposedly in order to curb cyber crime.

The BBC notes that the opening of the telecoms sector to include another state-run company, Du, is unlikely to change the position of blocked sites.