‘Skype’ , other messenger services face ban in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian authorities are threatening to ban several messenger services to include Skype and WhatsApp unless government authorities are allowed to censor them, according to a BBC report Monday.
Public domain photo/ Bergsten
“The Communications and Information Technology Commission has requested companies operating the applications to meet the regulatory requirements to avoid their suspension in the kingdom,” sources told Saudi news site Sabq.
“The commission is now coordinating with the application operators on the issue. The decision is similar to the one taken years ago towards the use of BlackBerry phones amid concerns about encrypted communications,” the sources that were not identified said, Sabq reported on Sunday.
One source says the commission gave service providers one week ending on Saturday to respond, warning it would “take measures to ban them” if they failed to comply.
No explanation has been given of why the demand has been made.
Internet messaging services like Skype are hugely popular in the Kingdom.
