Qatar: Tagged.com blocked

Twitter user Ammar Mohammed, from Qatar, reports that tagged.com has been blocked in that country.

52 comments

  • David T

    Keep me posted, ridiculous. Tagged seems to clean up any offensive material on a fairly quick basis. You’d be amazed how many Qataris and Muslims were visiting the site.

  • Nigel Gourlay

    I asked Qtel for the reason for the block. They responded with the following statement.

    >>>

    Qtel Update on Community Internet Safety Policy

    Decision to Block Specific Social Networking Site in Line with Culture of Qatar and Expectations of Customers

    Doha, Qatar

    Qtel today provided an update on its Community Internet Safety Policy, following the decision over the weekend to block a specific social networking site within Qatar.

    In its role as a licensed Internet Service Provider (ISP) and in response to customer requests, Qtel has a clear policy that aims to prevent damage to the values of the community from harmful material on websites. This policy has received strong support from the local community and ongoing market research shows that families and residents in Qatar overwhelmingly prefer there to be safeguards in place against illegal, pornographic and socially-harmful material.

    Outside of these areas, Qtel aims to provide full access to customers to lawful content and to enable them to run applications and services. It has even worked with the operators of a number of popular social networking sites to ensure that its advanced technology interacts effectively with the filters developed by the site owners.

    For example, Qtel’s Internet Safety technology has been aligned with the filter technology of the world’s most popular video sharing site, so that Qatar-based customers can access everything apart from material that is tagged as inappropriate content.

    In the case of the social networking site blocked over the weekend, because there was insufficient classification or tagging available within this site to selectively apply filters only for inappropriate content, and following a number of complaints from the public, the decision was made to block the site.

    Adel Al Mutawa, Executive Director, Group Communications, said: “The decision to block a site is never taken lightly, and we conduct thorough investigations upon receiving requests from the public. In this instance, because it was proving impossible to separate the legitimate from the potentially harmful, and because we saw the potential for damage – particularly to young people – we made the decision to block the site.”

    “Qtel believes it has a duty of care to the community, and we will continue to uphold the Internet community safety policy. We will review decisions to block sites on a case-by-case basis, and will use the advanced technology at our disposal to ensure a balance between Internet access-for-all and community values,” he added.

    Given the complexity and size of the internet, and the potential for illicit sites to attempt to disguise harmful material, Qtel is aware of cases where legitimate sites have been accidentally blocked. Internet end users who feel a site has been blocked unfairly can contact help@isp.qa and request a review of the decision.

    Equally, community members who feel a specific site contains harmful material can contact the same address with a request to review.

    Qtel continues to enhance the process of community internet safety in collaboration with the regulator, ictQatar, and is keen to encourage enhanced transparency and consumer welfare across this process.

    • cathy

      What i read is very interesting but unrealistic. In this case, qatar should also block all satelites.because what is on the television is worse than what some maniacs may display on the web,the satellites have 24 hours pornography with a variety of stations.but why tagged alone? check out all the social sites and you will see whats in tagged.. The world is full of filth, but we cannot go walking with our eyes closed because we do not want to see the filth.EDucating people when they are still young on morals is better. because closing one door will always lead to another door being opened, maybe a worse one.

  • i seeen that alot off sex vido and pics soo tagged should clean up soo we can start using it becs its very bad … i cant stop it from morring im trying to find proxy but still i dint find one soo if there is any other way plzz let me now but even i wil b the one useing it ???????????

  • naal4u

    Please let me know of there is any proxy server to access tagged.com

  • Klar

    Qtel blocked me ,also. I tried to explain to help@isp.com but he ignored my requested and my explain.
    I am not understand why he blocked tagged.com but he does not block hi5.com and friendster.com. I think they are same with tagged.com. I have to many friend in tagged but I have not email of them. I want to contact to them but I can not. Please , help me.

  • Saint

    yes i am still using it

  • maryam

    I couldn’t access from IRAN to tagged.com too, could you please let me know a proxy site or software to pass the filtering ?? please send me an email if you got it. thanks

  • ali

    I couldn’t access from IRAN to tagged.com too, could you please let me know a proxy site or software to pass the filtering ?? please send me an email if you got it. thanks

  • Zully

    I am from Guatemala and i am having problems to get in to tagged to, i dont know if it is block, but i have like a week trying to get in and i cant, or say that the page have errors. If someone know why this is happening please i want to know.

  • Hi…..We r very Feel Bad Because ..Tagged Was Blocked..Having Many College Friends There..We Having Contact In Tagged..But Last 1 Month…We MIssing My Frnd……Can u Please Help Me..Thse Blocked Website

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