Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

ONI Blog: Press Law Revisions, and Libel Punishments, in UAE
Gulfnews.com reports that the UAE is working to revise its Press Law in consultation with the Journalists' Association. The same story notes a libel judgment against two editors of a newspaper in a suit by an Education Ministry official - even...
ONI Blog: UAE's Etisalat Unblocks Popular Blog
Gulfnews.com reports that Secret Dubai, a blog blocked by the UAE ISP Etisalat, has been unblocked after a flood of complaints. The UAE is one of the countries about which the ONI has released a country study on...
ONI Blog: Internet Filtering in Iran in 2004-2005
Iran's Internet filtering system is one of the worlds most substantial censorship regimes. Drawing from technical interrogation, extensive legal and political analysis, and interviews with Iranians, ONI’s analysis finds that Iran’s Internet filtering system is one of the world’s most substantial censorship...
ONI Blog: UAE's Etisalat Blocks Popular Blog
Gulfnews.com reports that Etisalat, the sole Internet Service Provider in the United Arab Emirates, has blocked a popular weblog, Secret Dubai Diary. The ONI has previously reported on Internet filtering by Etisalat in its country study on UAE....
ONI Blog: Article on Syria's Blocking and Content Controls
Slate covers how Syrian activists use the Web to push for reform, but are often blocked, censored, or intimidated. The article links to a Syrian blog and also mentions that the site All4Syria has been blocked by the government....
ONI Blog: Internet Filtering in Bahrain in 2004-2005
The OpenNet Initiative’s testing of more than 6,000 sites in Bahrain revealed only eight sites blocked. Three were pornographic; the others covered political and religious topics. In each case, sites with similar content remained accessible, and altering the requested URL slightly made...
ONI Blog: Internet Filtering in United Arab Emirates in 2004-2005
The OpenNet Initiative announces the release of its study documenting Internet filtering in the United Arab Emirates. ONI tested over 8000 Web sites in the past six months, finding that UAE blocks material viewed as culturally inappropriate or offensive to the state's...
ONI Blog: Iranian Blogger Receives Heavy Jail Sentence
Reuters reports that an Iranian journalist blogger received a fourteen-year prison sentence for charges of insulting the state's leaders and espionage. This is part of the crackdown on Iranian journalim that includes Internet filtering....
ONI Blog: The Risks of Blogging in Iran
The BBC covers the crackdown on bloggers in Iran. Blogs have become an important forum for political and other expression in Iran, and the moves to control this content are in line with Iran's overall Internet filtering....
Report: Internet Filtering in the United Arab Emirates in 2004-2005: A Country Study
PDF Version 1. Executive Summary 2. Political, Technical, and Legal Context in UAE A. Sensitive / Controversial Topics for Media Coverage B. Internet Infrastructure and Access C. General Media Regulation D. Internet Access Regulation E. Internet Content Regulation 3....

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