Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Suining, Sichuan province, on June 10 2009.
Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Suining, Sichuan province, on June 10 2009.
Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Suining, Sichuan province, on June 10 2009.
Customers use computers at an internet cafe in Suining, Sichuan province, on June 10 2009.

UAE reports high website censorship


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Internet users in the UAE reported the fifth highest rate of blocked websites out of nearly 200 countries, according to a new project assessing global online restrictions at home and in the workplace. The statistics showed that 382 different webpages were flagged as "inaccessible" according to UAE users who reported to the Herdict Web project, developed through Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.

Herdict lets internet users pool information that becomes part of a perpetually updating database. The webpage, which draws about 3,000 visitors from 199 nations daily, was launched in February. The websites that were found by UAE users to have been blocked ranged from pornography and dating websites to religious pages, said Jillian York, the social media manager for the project.

"But then, you also get some sites where you've got to wonder why they're blocked - like Flickr," she said, referring to the free photo-sharing network. As of today, users in China recorded the most blocked websites with 802, followed by the US with 546, Saudi Arabia with 465 and Germany with 423.

"When someone is reporting a site as 'inaccessible' that means they could be experiencing government censorship, or school or work, or it could just be a server error," Ms York said. Herdict - a portmanteau of "herd" and "verdict" - relies on users' reports to assess worldwide internet restriction trends. Although the UAE is not one of the highest ranking countries in terms of web traffic, its internet users are prolific when it comes to reporting, and have sent 989 reports to Herdict on both accessible and inaccessible websites. Saudi Arabia has logged 3,203 reports by the internet "herd", Iran 1,445 and Bahrain 1,316.

Some sites are blocked within an organisation, while with others access may vary depending on location. The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, which regulates internet access in the UAE, responded by restating its 13-point guide to prohibited content. mkwong@thenational.ae

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RESULTS

2.15pm Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m

Winner Shawall, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi (jockey), Majed Al Jahouri (trainer)

2.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Anna Bella Aa, Fabrice Veron, Abdelkhir Adam

3.15pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

3.45pm Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m

Winner Taajer, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel

4.15pm The Ruler of Sharjah Cup – Prestige (PA) Dh250,000 (D) 1,700m

Winner Jawaal, Jim Crowley, Majed Al Jahouri

4.45pm Handicap (TB) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner Maqaadeer, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson

Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:

1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Copa del Rey

Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm

Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm

Transmission: CVT auto

Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km

On sale: now

Price: from Dh195,000 

Super Bowl LIII schedule

What Super Bowl LIII

Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams

Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States

When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)

 

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