If the web was a 15-year-old boy, what would he do online?
He would spend all his time sharing pictures on Flickr, watching videos on Youtube, interacting on mySpace and talking on Skype. Of course, none of this would happen if he lived in the UAE.
The World Wide Web has just turned 15. If a child was born on the same day as the WWW, where would he spend his time online? He would probably be sharing pictures on Flickr, watching videos on Youtube, interacting with his friends on mySpace and talking to his friends around the world on Skype.
Of course, in the UAE he would be able to do none of that, since all of these sites are blocked by Etisalat, the monopoly telecom provider that blocks anything deemed unsuitable for the virgin eyes of the people of the UAE.
While I have a big enough problem with a telecom monopoly provider setting the moral standards for what can and cannot be seen due to moral grounds, I find it laughable that seemingly harmless sites that are monitored and moderated (like Flickr and Youtube) are also blocked.
I’ll tell you what, Etisalat. Let’s make a deal… There’s dozens of sites you’ve missed on the web that actually show real pornography, not the harmless silliness on Youtube - the sort of stuff 15-year-olds really shouldn’t see. If I give you one site that has evaded your proxy, will you unblock one of the harmless sites for me? I miss accessing Youtube. Let me know…
