Revision [261]

Last edited on 2011-02-21 22:46:08 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- [[http://www.hn-books.com/ Hacker News Books]] -- This is a website with book reviews. It is unclear why it's blocked. Maybe someone didn't agree with the review.

Revision [246]

Edited on 2010-10-15 00:32:54 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Some Wikipedia pages are blocked
- The webpage for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene TNT]]. Oddly enough only the English version is blocked. You can still read the article in other languages, including Arabic and Urdu. The page for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite Dynamite]] is not blocked, even in English
Deletions:
- Some Wikipedia pages are blocked such as the webpage for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene TNT]]. Oddly enough only the English version is blocked. You can still read the article in other languages, including Arabic and Urdu. The page for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite Dynamite]] is not blocked, even in English

Revision [245]

Edited on 2010-10-15 00:32:26 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Another one blocked is wikipedia's page about [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circumcision Circumcision]]. No idea why, but again, only the English version is blocked

Revision [244]

Edited on 2010-09-27 14:45:07 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
++- Flickr.com (for some reason the US army photostream is NOT blocked [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ The U.S. Army's photostream]]). Could it be because [[http://www.websense.com WebSense]] has a special deal with the US Army?!++
Update 27.09.2010: flickr.com no longer blocked
Deletions:
- Flickr.com (for some reason the US army photostream is NOT blocked [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ The U.S. Army's photostream]]). Could it be because [[http://www.websense.com WebSense]] has a special deal with the US Army?!

Revision [243]

Edited on 2010-09-21 21:52:16 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- URL keyword filtering does not seem to be in place

Revision [241]

Edited on 2010-09-18 23:36:18 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- [[http://www.opera.com/mobile/ Opera mini]] does its rendering on Opera servers in Norway, effectively acting as filter-circumventing proxies. This used to be a long standing hole in the filtering system allowing people to browse outside the filter from their mobile devices (mainly Blackberry). This hole was plugged in early 2010. Opera mini can only work if rendering is done on Opera servers so the application no longer works in the UAE.
Deletions:
- [[http://www.opera.com/mobile/ Opera mini]] does it's rendering on Opera servers in Norway, effectively acting as filter-circumventing proxies. This used to be a long standing hole in the filtering system allowing people to browse outside the filter from their mobile devices (mainly Blackberry). This hole was plugged in early 2010. Opera mini can only work if rendering is done on Opera servers so the application no longer works in the UAE.

Revision [240]

Edited on 2010-09-18 23:35:47 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- [[http://www.opera.com/mobile/ Opera mini]] does it's rendering on Opera servers in Norway, effectively acting as filter-circumventing proxies. This used to be a long standing hole in the filtering system allowing people to browse outside the filter from their mobile devices (mainly Blackberry). This hole was plugged in early 2010. Opera mini can only work if rendering is done on Opera servers so the application no longer works in the UAE.

Revision [190]

Edited on 2010-09-12 14:11:16 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- From what I found our I rather think the UAE is using [[http://www.bluecoat.com/ Bluecoat]] for webfiltering with block list from [[http://www.websense.com Websense]].
- Flickr.com (for some reason the US army photostream is NOT blocked [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ The U.S. Army's photostream]]). Could it be because [[http://www.websense.com WebSense]] has a special deal with the US Army?!
Deletions:
- From what I found our I rather think the UAE is using Bluecoat for webfiltering with block list from Websense.
- Flickr.com (for some reason the US army photostream is NOT blocked [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ The U.S. Army's photostream]]. Could it be because WebSense has a special deal with the US Army?!

Revision [189]

Edited on 2010-09-12 13:57:29 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Some Wikipedia pages are blocked such as the webpage for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene TNT]]. Oddly enough only the English version is blocked. You can still read the article in other languages, including Arabic and Urdu. The page for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamite Dynamite]] is not blocked, even in English
Deletions:
- Some Wikipedia pages are blocked such as the webpage for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene TNT]]. Oddly enough only the English version is blocked. You can still read the article in other languages, including Arabic and Urdu.

Revision [187]

Edited on 2010-09-12 13:52:56 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
[[CategoryNotes]]

Revision [186]

Edited on 2010-09-12 13:51:37 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Some Wikipedia pages are blocked such as the webpage for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinitrotoluene TNT]]. Oddly enough only the English version is blocked. You can still read the article in other languages, including Arabic and Urdu.

Revision [167]

Edited on 2010-09-07 12:35:13 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Not all Israeli sites are blocked. Quite a few are not, including [[http://www.petri.co.il/ Petri's site]], much to the rejoice of windows sys admins everywhere
Deletions:
- Not all Israeli sites are blocked. Quite a few are not, including [[http://www.petri.co.il/ Petri's site]], much to the enjoyment of windows sys admins everywhere

Revision [166]

Edited on 2010-09-07 11:51:50 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Not all Israeli sites are blocked. Quite a few are not, including [[http://www.petri.co.il/ Petri's site]], much to the enjoyment of windows sys admins everywhere
Deletions:
- Not all Israeli sites are blocked. Quite a few are not, including [[http://www.petri.co.il/ Petri's site]]

Revision [165]

Edited on 2010-09-06 19:40:56 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- Not all Israeli sites are blocked. Quite a few are not, including [[http://www.petri.co.il/ Petri's site]]

Revision [164]

Edited on 2010-09-06 19:36:25 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- [[http://news.ycombinator.com Hacker News Ycombinator]] was blocked at some point in time but this was reverted about a week or two later
Deletions:
- [[http://news.ycombinator.comHacker News Ycombinator]] was blocked at some point in time but this was reverted about a week or two later

Revision [163]

Edited on 2010-09-06 19:05:14 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship#United_Arab_Emirates Wikipedia]] claims that filtering is done using a [[http://www.securecomputing.com/ SecureComputing]] solution however I doubt this is (still) the case.
- From what I found our I rather think the UAE is using Bluecoat for webfiltering with block list from Websense.
- [[http://news.ycombinator.comHacker News Ycombinator]] was blocked at some point in time but this was reverted about a week or two later
Deletions:
- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship#United_Arab_Emirates Wikipedia]] claims that filtering is done using a [[http://www.securecomputing.com/ SecureComputing]] solution however I doubt this is the case.
- From what I found our I rather think the UAE is using Bluecoat for webfiltering with block list from websense.
- news.ycombinator.com was blocked at some point in time but this was reverted about a week or two later

Revision [162]

Edited on 2010-09-06 18:40:14 by LigiuUiorean
Additions:
=====Web filtering in the UAE=====
===Some random observations===
- [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_censorship#United_Arab_Emirates Wikipedia]] claims that filtering is done using a [[http://www.securecomputing.com/ SecureComputing]] solution however I doubt this is the case.
- From what I found our I rather think the UAE is using Bluecoat for webfiltering with block list from websense.
- I understood from a friend of a friend that this was implemented in conjunction with a team in Canada
====Blocked sites====
Just the obvious ones:
- Flickr.com (for some reason the US army photostream is NOT blocked [[http://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/ The U.S. Army's photostream]]. Could it be because WebSense has a special deal with the US Army?!
- news.ycombinator.com was blocked at some point in time but this was reverted about a week or two later
Deletions:
=====Security in Abu Dhabi=====
Abu Dhabi (and the UAE for that matter) is quite paranoid about security. If this is justified or not is different discussion altogether, however they rank close to what the US and the UK are doing in terms of surveillance.
There are many public (and probably just as many secret) surveillance methods in use:
- CCTV cameras are pervasive. Although I feel in London there are either more or not so well hidden.
- Country-wide WiFi network. [[http://www.tropos.com Tropos]] implemented municipal and country-wide WiFi mesh. I am wondering if this mesh is used only for data communication or it is used also to eavesdrop on WiFi signal. Sounds like it has a great potential for collecting data.
- Etisalat/Du/Service providers. Quite openly the service providers are monitoring connections. Starting with the internet filtering (which as I understood was implemented by a Canadian company using bluecoat devices?) to the failed deployment of Blackberry monitoring software. Now they are publicly working with RIM to allow them to monitor Blackberry traffic.
- Road speedcams. They are pretty much everywhere. In Abu Dhabi they photograph from the back (apparently to protect privacy), in Dubai they photograph from the front. I wonder if they can dazzle and confuse drivers at night due to the flash.
- Road CCTV. Abu Dhabi is deploying road CCTV on some cantilever poles. that are maybe 500m apart. From what I could observe each pole has optical fiber being pulled up to it and has at least two cameras installed on top (on dome, one fixed?). That's great potential for city-wide free WiFi!
- Are they monitoring the airwaves?


Food for thought:
- That is a lot of IT equipment (access points, cameras, fibers, switches, storage, etc). Now it's all shiny and new but how much will be Abu Dhabi spending to maintain that equipment when it's aging. What's the TCO?
- I think I've read somewhere (other than wikipedia) that the muezzin traditionally used to a blind person, who could not look down into the inner courts of the citizen's houses and thus could not violate privacy. Is the UAE breaking away from that tradition?

Revision [161]

The oldest known version of this page was created on 2010-09-06 17:58:44 by LigiuUiorean [WebFilterUAE]
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