Dubai is one of the emirates that compose the United Arab Emirates and, naturally, obeys by the rules and laws of the federal monarchy ruling it. Naturally, because of this association a lot of the restrictions on internet access in the UAE crosses over with that of Dubai, too, though there are some specifics that are different between the two.
The UAE have some of the fastest internet speeds on the planet and Dubai is its biggest city, which makes it one of the places with the best overall network performance. And while Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other popular services are open, there are many online restrictions when it comes to websites that criticize the government, disrespect religion or provide harmful content such as gambling, for instance. In addition, some VoIP and messaging apps are completely blocked in the region, too, though accessing them is still possible with a VPN. However, depending on the way they’re used, VPNs are also illegal in the whole of the UAE area and there are already user reports of ISPs throttling connections.
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Most of the emirates are demonstrating their openness to the world, and while the culture in Dubai is not as strict as other countries in the region it’s worth keeping in mind that the city is still part of an Arabic monarchy. This explains why despite all the censorship and closed surveillance some of the biggest social media websites are not blocked – as is the case in neighboring countries – and why even Netflix has its own local domain. The same is true the other way around, as well, meaning that many UAE TV channels and websites are available in other parts of the world, which can be useful for expats living abroad.
There are only two ISPs in Dubai – Etisalat and du – and they enforce the blocks on websites and services that are deemed necessary by the government, including two Pakistani TV channels, for instance. Likewise, messaging apps and VoIP services such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, Telegram and Skype are blocked in the region, too. This doesn’t mean they’re inaccessible, though, since having the app installed on a device before entering Dubai’s borders shouldn’t pose a problem. However, if anyone wants to install such apps while in the UAE then it’s pretty much impossible without the use of a VPN to fool the ISPs – although this also seems to be coming to an end.
The law of the UAE is strict about the content made available online. People living in or visiting Dubai cannot access adult or gambling websites, those that present politically sensitive material or attack the government and its religion. Additionally, even some sensitive parts of Wikipedia are censored or deleted, and Israeli domains are blocked. However, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other usual targets of internet control that are commonly seen in the most oppressive regimes are available, although the content that is posted on them is heavily monitored by the authorities, who persecute and condemn to jail those of do not comply with the country’s regulations.
The law is ambiguous when it comes to the use of a VPN since it’s how the tool is being used that affects whether they’re legal or not. Using them for work purposes, to enhance privacy – such as when managing a bank account online – or to increase the connection speed are all legal uses of a VPN, but using such a connection to access blocked services and apps is not and is therefore a crime. The same goes for torrenting, which is not tolerated in Dubai or the UAE. Also, there have been reports that one of the ISPs have been throttling VPN connections, which could mean that the region will become more severe towards these programs in the future.
Streaming services are popular across the entire world and Dubai is no exception. Just like the rest of the internet and the overall culture of the emirate, this is an area where a certain openness is visible. Netflix, for instance, has its own UAE domain and though the library is obviously much smaller than the U.S., it’s certainly positive to see that the service is up and running legally in such an otherwise sensitive part of the world. Not every online service benefits from this same treatment, however, and the likes of Spotify, Hulu or Amazon Prime are currently unavailable in Dubai and the entire emirate, though it is possible that they could unveil a UAE version just as well in the future.
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