The Saudi-Wide Web
A report released today from the OpenNet Initiative sheds light on the what the Internet looks like from inside Saudi Arabia. ONI tested sites blocked by the government's internet filtering system and found the highest percentages of blocked sites in the categories of pornography, drugs, and gambling. The study found less evidence of blocking related to the state of Israel (2% of sites tested), the Jewish religion (0%), and alcohol (5%). The study also revealed that blocking has changed since 2000. The Israeli Defense Forces website, for example, was blocked in 2002 and 2003 but not in 2004. The results of the ONI study offer a window into the country's evolving efforts to manage the type of information available to its citizens.
The OpenNet Initiative is a partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, and the Advanced Network Research Group at the Centre for Security in International Society (Cambridge Security Programme), University of Cambridge.
The OpenNet Initiative is a partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, the Berkman Center for Internet & Society at Harvard Law School, and the Advanced Network Research Group at the Centre for Security in International Society (Cambridge Security Programme), University of Cambridge.