USA, August 29, 2002: The Saudi government is censoring public Internet access to a degree that goes significantly but haphazardly beyond its stated central goal of blocking sexually explicit content that violates the values of Islam, according to a recent study by Harvard Law School researchers. The study’s detailed list of blocked sites offers a glimpse into the areas that the Saudi government has deemed most troubling. Among them are sites related to pornography, women’s rights, gays and lesbians, non-Islamic religions and criticism of political restrictions. Many humor and entertainment sites have also been blocked. HPI found only 12 “Hindu” sites listed (“source” above) among those blocked, but the logic for inclusion was not clear as most did not even appear to mention Islam.
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