(CNN) -- Saudi Arabia may block access to popular
Internet messaging applications like Skype, Viber and WhatsApp if
telecommunication providers there don't comply with rules and regulatory
conditions, according to the country's official news agency, SPA.
A statement from Saudi
Arabia's Communications and Information Technology Commission released
via SPA read, "The Commission emphasizes that it will take appropriate
action regarding these applications and services in the event of failure
to meet those conditions."
The statement did not
address how the applications in question -- which allow Internet users
to communicate with each other via text messages and voice calls -- were
violating any rules, but it did highlight the need for service
providers in the country to quickly "work with the developers of these
applications to meet regulatory requirements."
Sunday's announcement
came in response to local media reports last week claiming the CITC, the
country's telecommunications regulator, had asked Saudi telecom
companies to allow the government to monitor those applications and had
given them until Saturday to respond.
Despite repeated
attempts, CNN was unable to reach the CITC or any of Saudi Arabia's
three mobile providers (Saudi Telecom Co., Zain Group and Mobily) for
comment.
Sunday's move was met with derision by many Saudi social media users.
"The sense that I get is
weariness," said Eman Al-Nafjan, one of Saudi Arabia's most prominent
bloggers, while describing the online reaction she's encountered so far.
"A shrugging shoulders -- as if it's typical."
"I'm not angry, just a
little surprised that the Saudi government hasn't advanced beyond this
type of tactic," added Al-Nafjan, who tweets as Saudiwoman. "I thought
that they were better able to do this without resorting to have to
threaten banning applications."
Still, Al-Nafjan told CNN she's not surprised by the timing of the announcement.
"I believe a big part of
the reason why this is happening ... is because lots of demonstrations
that were organized in Saudi Arabia were done through the use of
WhatsApp," explained Al-Nafjan, citing recent small-scale demonstrations
calling for the release of political prisoners.
In Saudi Arabia, an
absolute monarchy, protests are prohibited. Sixty percent of the
country's population is under the age of 30 and Internet usage there is
soaring.
"A lot of human rights
activists that communicate in Saudi Arabia do so using WhatsApp," added
Al-Nafjan. "And women's rights movement members are communicating using
WhatsApp."
Al-Nafjan said Saudi activists felt safer communicating using applications like WhatsApp and Skype, as they are encrypted.
According to Christopher
Davidson, author of the book "After the Sheikhs: The Coming Collapse of
the Gulf Monarchies," the Saudi government has grown increasingly
concerned about the rising tide of dissent being expressed by Saudi
online activists of late.
Davidson explained Saudi
authorities would be looking for a way to monitor these applications
because they are "prime examples of modernizing technologies which
cannot be co-opted and controlled by national governments and their
security apparatus."
"In the past we've had
these voice-to-voice networks being blocked," said Davidson. "Sometimes
for economic reasons, trying to protect state telecommunications
monopolies. And that's certainly been an issue in the past -- the
blocking of Skype in some of the Gulf monarchies. But now I think it's
quite clear ... that it's the social and political use of this media
that's most alarming."
For Al-Nafjan, the move is a "waste of time."
"People will know it's not safe and move to another application," said Al-Nafjan. "The same thing happened with BlackBerry."
Saudi authorities
threatened to ban BlackBerry service in the kingdom in 2010, accusing
the company of not complying with regulations. The CITC demanded the
company install local servers so the service could be censored. An
agreement was eventually reached but it is not known what steps were
taken by the manufacturer of the Canadian smartphone in order to do so.
"People who are aware
know that it's not that big of a deal even if these applications are
blocked," explained Al-Nafjan. "The issue is if they ban the Internet or
if they don't provide Internet sevices. As long as the Internet is
available, there's no way that they can end freedom of speech -- it's
gone beyond the point of no return."
أشاد
رئيس الأركان العامة للجيش الليبي اللواء يوسف المنقوش بشجاعة وبسالة
الأبطال الذين تصدوا لمحاولات الاعتداء على قاعدة "تمنهنت" العسكرية بسبها.
وأوضح المنقوش خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الذي عقده ظهر امس الأحد بطرابلس بحضور
رئيس الحكومة المؤقتة أسباب تعرض القاعدة لهجوم من قبل مجموعات خارجة عن
القانون، مؤكداً بأنها كانت تريد إحداث تخريب في مكونات القاعدة ولم تتمكن
من الدخول بفضل الحزم والشجاعة التي أبدتها القوة الموجودة بالقاعدة،
مشيراً إلى أن المواجهة مع هذه المجموعات أدت إلى استشهاد العقيد موسى رزق
الله العوامي، ورئيس عرفة سرية سامي عبدالله البرعصي وجرح أربعة آخرين.
وأكد المنقوش أن من قام بالاعتداء على قاعدة "تمنهنت" العسكرية بسبها هي
مجموعات لا يروق لها ضبط الأمن بالحدود، وسيتم تعقبهم والقبض عليهم. وتطرق
رئيس الأركان العامة إلى توضيح دور القوة المشتركة التي تم تشكيلها في
طرابلس حاليا وكذلك التي في طور الانشاء بمدينة بنغازي بأنها ستكون جاهزة
في القريب العاجل لتبدأ في تنفيذ مهامها. وأكد المنقوش أن هذه القوة ستعمل
في إطار القانون والشرعية وتأمين الأهداف وإرجاع المقرات والأماكن الموجود
فيها أناس غير شرعيين إلى جهاتها الأصلية ولتثبيت أركان الأمن في مدينة
بنغازي.
