DU Blocking makes the Local News
Yesterday, 14 April, a local newspaper reported that du has started blocking websites.
Samurai Sam reported this back in March. It's good to know that the local news keeps up with what's happening.
Samurai Sam specifically reported the blocking of Secret Dubai.
I first heard of Secret Dubai when a local newspaper reported that her site had been blocked in July, 2005. Once the block had been removed, I naturally looked to see the blog, but the parts she had been told were offensive had been removed.
The blog is mostly a news-clipping blog, taking stories from the local newspapers that Western readers might find 'interesting.' Or just weird.
A Citizen once told me how much all Citizens hated the blog. Although, since it is mostly just stories that have been published in the local English press, it isn't clear why they don't hate the local English press. Or maybe they do, but the local English press is owned by a Citizen, while Secret Dubai is posted on a blog owned by Google. And, of course, I have studied Group Dynamics, where, if one Citizen with wasta says 'Secret Dubai is terrible,' most other Citizens will agree.
Back in 2005, Secret Dubai had some Citizens who were her friends, and who got her blog unblocked, but they no longer seem to be able to help.
Blocking Secret Dubai makes absolutely no sense to me.
It is also unclear from Samurai Sam or the local newspaper if the block applies to all of du, or just to that new part of du that is outside the Free Zone. If the Free Zone must now go through the filter, I don't see how it can continue to attract the world's largest corporations.
Samurai Sam reported this back in March. It's good to know that the local news keeps up with what's happening.
Samurai Sam specifically reported the blocking of Secret Dubai.
I first heard of Secret Dubai when a local newspaper reported that her site had been blocked in July, 2005. Once the block had been removed, I naturally looked to see the blog, but the parts she had been told were offensive had been removed.
The blog is mostly a news-clipping blog, taking stories from the local newspapers that Western readers might find 'interesting.' Or just weird.
A Citizen once told me how much all Citizens hated the blog. Although, since it is mostly just stories that have been published in the local English press, it isn't clear why they don't hate the local English press. Or maybe they do, but the local English press is owned by a Citizen, while Secret Dubai is posted on a blog owned by Google. And, of course, I have studied Group Dynamics, where, if one Citizen with wasta says 'Secret Dubai is terrible,' most other Citizens will agree.
Back in 2005, Secret Dubai had some Citizens who were her friends, and who got her blog unblocked, but they no longer seem to be able to help.
Blocking Secret Dubai makes absolutely no sense to me.
It is also unclear from Samurai Sam or the local newspaper if the block applies to all of du, or just to that new part of du that is outside the Free Zone. If the Free Zone must now go through the filter, I don't see how it can continue to attract the world's largest corporations.
Labels: Censorship
posted by Dubai@Random at 1:52 am
2 Comments:
As far as I'm aware the secretdubai block and the rest of the du blocking apply to all of the du areas in Dubai; this includes Dubai Media City and Dubai Internet City-- the only place I know of that is unaffected by the proxy in Dubai aside from small gov't institutions is some of the local colleges, but I haven't confirmed this yet. In any case most of these colleges have their own proxy software to block pornography etc.
Hi, there is no such 'new' part of du - adding to sam's comment, all emaar/nakheel residential areas are also covered by du.
Mind you, there are a lot of 'immoral' sites still accessible on the du network! methinks someone is on an excessively long coffee break!
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