Announcing a New Study on Internet Filtering

The OpenNet Initiative (of which the Berkman Center is a part) just released a study documenting Internet filtering in the United Arab Emirates. ONI tested over 8,000 Web addresses in the past six months, finding that UAE blocks material viewed as culturally inappropriate or offensive to the state's perception of Islam. The study notes that UAE relies on American software (SmartFilter) to implement its filtering, and points out that UAE's system suffers from considerable overblocking that prevents its citizens from accessing content unrelated to the state's expressed goals. This study is the next in a series of ONI analyses – forthcoming reports include Vietnam, Bahrain, and Singapore.