Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Saudi Arabia Set To Ban WhatsApp, Skype

Posted by timothy on from the and-clear-envelopes-only-please dept.

Reuters reports that Saudi Arabia's government, after banning Viber within the kingdom, is poised to prohibit at least two other such communication apps: Skype and WhatsApp. Says the article: "Conventional international calls and texts are a lucrative earner for telecom operators in Saudi Arabia, which hosts around nine million expatriates. These foreign workers are increasingly using Internet-based applications such as Viber to communicate with relatives in other countries, analysts say." With fewer legal options, a wide-scale Internet censorship regime would be easier to implement, too.

13 of 122 comments (clear)

  1. Popularity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My roomate is from Saudi and he has mentioned to me on several occasions that WhatsApp is incredibly popular there. Everyone he knows uses it, including older family members. Banning something so popular would upset a lot of people...

    1. Re:Popularity by Camembert · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Not exactly a comment on the original story, just saying that Whatsapp is also tremendously popular here in South-East Asia. I use it very often, It is a popular and easy solution to set up group discussions, transfer pictures etc. I had already read in newspapers that telcos here are not so happy about its popularity but luckily there is little that they can do about it.

  2. Why.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I don't see you yanks spreading freedom in the saudi?

  3. Re:Not in the land of the Free by kaptink · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is this land you speak of?

    --
    Those who can, do. Those who cannot, sue.
  4. Re:Not in the land of the Free by davester666 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Finland.

    --
    Sleep your way to a whiter smile...date a dentist!
  5. Cat & mouse game will continue... by Bearhouse · · Score: 5, Informative

    This has been going on for a long time - Skype was banned or crippled in the UAE for a long time, but recently unblocked:

    http://english.alarabiya.net/en/business/technology/2013/04/08/Etisalat-unblocks-Skype-website-in-the-UAE.html

    At the time, it was more about securing revenue from the lucrative expat market than locking-down protest movements.
    Of course, these latter do exist, but less so in Saudi & UAE than, say, Egypt.

    I guess this latest move will just drive more interest in alternatives, which are often 'open' and perhaps more secure...

    http://www.pidgin.im/

    http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/fed-up-with-skype-here-are-6-of-the-best-free-alternatives/

  6. Free and open source messaging alternatives by trawg · · Score: 4, Informative

    Apropos of absolutely nothing, here's some open source alternatives that also offer encryption (YMMV on how robust the encryption is).

    - Jitsi (formerly SIP Communicator) is an audio/video and chat communicator that supports protocols such as SIP, XMPP/Jabber as well as a bunch of other protocols. Set up an XMPP server wherever you want and you're done. (I tried to set up Jabber to use with it on a Linux box on the weekend though and hit a few roadblocks, but more tech savvy people can probably power through them.)

    - Mumble - voice communications, intended primarily for gaming but will work with anything. Run your own voice servers and clients connect in, a la TeamSpeak/Ventrilo.

    - RetroShare - decentralised p2p file sharing and messaging system.

  7. Re:Not in the land of the Free by LQ · · Score: 5, Funny

    There's a very old joke.
    Hijacker: take this plane to a free country.
    Pilot: this is a airliner, not a fucking spaceship.

  8. It's all about thought control by Camael · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Q: Why would Saudi Arabia ban communication tools such as Viber, Whatsapp and Skype?

    A: Because they have no control or access to the messages passed with these apps.

    According to TFA, Viber was blocked for non-compliance, and that WhatsApp and Skype may be next on the list. What is most interesting is that the regulator issued a directive in March saying tools such as Viber, WhatsApp and Skype broke local laws, without specifying which laws.

    What we do know is that in 2010, Blackberry was also banned by Saudi Arabia. The reason behind the ban was because BBM did not allow their customers' exchanges to be monitored by government. The ban was lifted after BB made a deal with the government to share user data.

    Skype, Viber and WhatsApp AFAIK do not share their user data (for now).

    Why has Saudi Arabia become emboldened to act now? Because the disclosure of the PRISM program makes them immune from international criticism. They can rightly point out that the US government already has access to the data. It shouldn't take long for other countries to follow suit with similar demands.

    1. Re:It's all about thought control by gsslay · · Score: 4, Insightful

      QFT. Mod parent up.

      Why has Saudi Arabia become emboldened to act now? Because the disclosure of the PRISM program makes them immune from international criticism. They can rightly point out that the US government already has access to the data. It shouldn't take long for other countries to follow suit with similar demands.

      All countries involved with PRISM have waved goodbye to any moral high ground they ever had any claim to. They're monitoring private communications exactly like the worse of any repressive regime. And before anyone takes issue; I'm not saying they are as bad as a repressive regime, but that they have given all repressive regimes an easy and justifiable defence for their activities. Why should the US have access to data on their citizens that they don't?

      Whether the governments of countries involved in PRISM care that they've lost the moral high ground is another matter. But you'd think their citizens would. Perhaps all governments are fine with the monitoring actions of the others. Universal monitoring would make all their jobs easier.

  9. They are not worried about by purnima · · Score: 5, Interesting

    western expats or the Saudi nationals. They are worried about the millions of Asian workers, maids, drivers, cleaners who are treated like slaves. You don't have effective control over slaves if you let them communicate with their family whenever they want. Saudi Arabia is a hell hole for millions of people who have sold themselves into effective slavery, and the US government treats the place like its main ally in the region. Something about American history tells me it's a natural alliance.

  10. Re:kill them all by Chrisq · · Score: 4, Informative
    Well from Worldwide Trends in Honor Killings:

    Although Sikhs and Hindus do sometimes commit such murders, honor killings, both worldwide and in the West, are mainly Muslim-on-Muslim crimes. In this study, worldwide, 91 percent of perpetrators were Muslims.

    So, yes there are some evil Hindu and Sikhs, but it is not entrenched as a specific commandment in the religion like in Islam

  11. I am SHOCKED by dskoll · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I am shocked that a country that forbids women to drive, kills young girls for fear they may be dressed immodestly, bans Barbie dolls and amputates the hands of thieves would stoop to such barbaric behaviour!