Saturday, August 2, 2008

Hooray!

i've read yesterday evening on Gulf News that the uae government decided to revoke its ban on more than 1,000 websites which are blocked here.


no more screens like the one in the picture below finally!



and, since i'm very happy for this small sign towards some more freedom, i quote the article so you will understand the situation better.

title: Web welcome. Access soon to blocked sites.
"Dubai - More than 1,000 web sites, which had been blocked in the UAE due to various reasons, will be accesible soon.
As part of the "Internet Access Management Policy" of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), directions have been given to Internet service providers, etisalat and du, to unblock these sites which had been barred for being "offensive". However, etisalat and du said they have not received any official circular regarding the sites to be unblocked.
These sites were blocked because they were found to be offensive. They included sites carrying pornographic material, giving tips to carry out crimes, and promoting terrorism. However, among them were social networking sites, like Orkut, which was a big letdown for thousands of people who used them to stay in touch with their friends."


pornographic material? promotion of terrorism? OMG! either they found out that me and Mr. K. have dirty talk on Skype (blocked) or now i understand how OBL keeps in touch with his comrades from his cave... do you think i can "add him as a friend"?