Saudi is banning Skype and Whatsapp, but the call will censor: Why is it here?

The Saudi government is banning calls made through online applications on Thursday but will monitor and censor, an official spokesman said. All online voice and video call services - such as Microsoft's Skype, WhatsApp's Facebook and Messenger, and Rakunten's Viber - that meet the regulatory requirements were ready to arrive overnight. However, on Thursday morning, Messenger and Viber appeared to stay blocked inside the state.

Telecom Regulatory CITC spokesman Adel Abu Hameed said on Wednesday on Arabiya TV that the purpose of the new rules is primarily aimed at protecting the personal information of users and blocking the content, which violate state laws. Asked whether the app can be monitored by officials or companies, he said: "In any case, the user can use the application for video or voice calls without monitoring and censorship by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, Whether the application is global or local. "Saudi Arabia started blocks for Internet communication since 2013, with its non-Arab neighbors The provision is that such services can be used by the workers and the terrorists.

Except Bahrain's island state, the Gulf Arab states were largely abandoned "Arab Spring" protests which were often held on the Internet, which had fallen into many areas in 2011. By raising the ban, the part of the comprehensive reform of the Saudi government is to bring about diversification of the economy, partly in response to lower oil prices, which has affected the financial condition of the country. Nevertheless, the policy reversals can squeeze Saudi Arabia's three main telecommunications operators - Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Etihad Etisalat (Moby) and Zain Saudi - who earn revenue from international phone calls made by millions of migrants living in the state. is.