Saudi Arabia Bans Messaging App, Skype May Be Next
Saudi Arabia has suspended popular Internet messenger application Viber for failing to comply with unspecified regulations. The Communications and Information Technology Commission also warned that “appropriate action will be taken against other applications or services that do not comply with regulations.”
Whether this is in the name of censorship, business interests, or both, is unclear. Viber received a warning from the Saudi telecommunications regulator in March, along with Skype and WhatsApp.
The CITC wanted these communication platforms, which allow users to make free calls, send instant messages and share files over the Internet, to provide a local server to monitor user activity. It gave them a week to comply. Having let two months elapse, blocking Viber, the smallest of the three services, may be its way of sending a warning shot to the other two.
While stricter controls could be the authoritarian regime’s attempt to monitor for signs of social unrest in the wake of the Arab Spring protests of 2011, there’s also a business angle at play. These free applications deprive licensed telecom operators of revenue from international calls and texts, which is considerable given that Saudi Arabia has a large expatriate population.
http://mashable.com/2013/06/06/saudi-arabia-bans-viber-skype
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