"Internet Filtering in Yemen: 2004-2005"

3/6/2006

The OpenNet Initiative has released "Internet Filtering in Yemen 2004-2005," a country study that documents the degree and extent to which the Republic of Yemen controls the information environment in which its citizens live, including Web sites, blogs, e-mail, and online discussion forums.

Drawing from technical, legal, and political sources, ONI’s research finds that Yemen limits its citizens’ access to Internet content by using commercially available American filtering technology from Websense [http://www.websense.com/global/en/] and by controlling the state’s two Internet service providers (ISPs), TeleYemen and YemenNet, through the state’s Ministry of Telecommunications. The ISPs, with guidance from the ministry, set the rules on what may be accessed or published and are transparent about their efforts; users are notified that Internet content is being filtered and are told why particular sites are blocked. The ISPs primarily target pornography, gambling, proxy servers, and gay/lesbian materials, and neither blocks political material. ONI found that filtering for both ISPs increased from 2004 to 2005.

To read a copy of the report, please click here. http://www.opennetinitiative.net/studies/yemen/index.html