What's happening with Facebook?
Apparently, the website; Facebook is experiencing site blockage in Abu Dhabi or perhaps the whole Emirates for reasons I am not sure of. Or maybe " access to the site falls under the Prohibited Content Categories of the UAE's Internet Access Management Policy. "
Prohibited Content Categories
1. Internet Content for Bypassing Blocked Content
This category includes Internet Content that allows or assist Users to access Blocked Content.
2. Internet Content for Learning Criminal Skills
This category includes Internet Content that either provides instructions for or identifies methods to promote, encourage or provide the skills to commit illegal or criminal or unethical activities. These include bomb-making, phreaking (breaching phone security or phone service theft), scams and fraud, terrorism, evading law enforcement, stalking, lock picking, selling pirate material such as commercial software, music, videos or others.
3. Dating Internet Content
This category includes Internet Content that provides online dating or matchmaking which contradicts with the ethics and morals of the UAE.
Exemptions: Chatting services, chatting groups, social networking (but why we can't access it?) and forums.
4. Internet Content for Illegal Drugs
This category includes Internet Content that provides information on purchasing, manufacturing, promoting and using illegal drugs.
5. Internet Content containing Pornography and Nudity
This category includes Internet Content that contains material of a pornographic nature, or relates or depicts acts of homosexuality, nudity and sexual material (including stories, jokes, animations, and video) or Internet Content that promotes sexual activity. It includes Internet Content which promote the distribution of above material (such as Peer-to-Peer websites and links).
6. Gambling Internet Content
This category includes Internet Content that is relevant to gambling or such as gambling links, tips, sports picks, lottery results, as well as horse, car or boat racing.
7. Internet Content for Hacking and Malicious Codes
This category includes Internet Content that distribute information and tools for hacking (root kits, kiddy scripts, etc.) that help individuals gain unauthorized access to computer systems. Also include Internet Content
that distributes tools or information for producing and distributing malicious codes such as viruses, worms or Trojan horses.
Exemptions: Information security including ethical hacking.
8. Internet Content that are offensive to Religions
This category includes Internet Content that contains material which expresses hate to religions.
9. Phishing Internet Content
This category includes Internet Content where entities or persons falsely represent themselves as a “legitimate” businesses or enterprises for the purpose of deceiving and obtaining form Users, valuable information such as bank account or email account information including details such as usernames, passwords, credit card details or bank account details.
10. Internet Content that downloads Spyware
This category includes Internet Content that downloads Spyware which gathers private information of the users without his or her knowledge.
11. Internet Content providing Unlicensed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service
This category includes Internet Content that allows access to services which are prohibited in accordance with the TRA’s Voice over Internet Protocol Policy.
12. Terrorism Internet Content
This category includes Internet Content of terrorism groups and related Internet Content that support terrorism and publish and distribute materials for terrorism or include material for training and encouraging terrorism or help to serve terrorism groups such as funding, facilitating communication and other direct and indirect services.
13. Prohibited Top Level Domain (TLD)
This category includes Internet Content under a Top Level Domain names which offends against, is objectionable to, or is contrary to the public interest, public morality, public order, public and national security, Islam morality or is otherwise prohibited by any applicable UAE law, regulation, procedure, order or requirement.
As they say, R*E*S*P*E*C*T ! It's either you need to refresh and refresh the site or switch on the hotspot shield, that's if you have downloaded one outside UAE.
So for now, I'm settling with my other favorite social site. Twitter and Blogger.
I hope that by 2010, which is hours from now, they will find ways to open the line again.
I LVoe!
