FREEDOM FOR UAE FLICKR USERS

This is a petition asking Etisalat, the Internet service provider in the UAE, to permanently remove the block it has placed on UAE residents accessing Flickr. Etisalat has implemented a total ban on the use of Flickr in the UAE. A massive protest has developed in these last few days on Flickr, involving users from all countries, highly concerned about freedom of expression; Internet users aren't new to these restrictions, just think about the blocks and the bans Chinese surfers are being affected with, including the use of non-harmful weblog platforms such as TypePad. The statement delivered by Etisalat when asked why they block Flickr states: "We are treating Flickr as we are treating pornographic sites. The increasing number of porno pictures in the pages was what made us block the site. We will NOT unblock it, as we did before, because we consider it to be a pornographic site and we will not allow those kinds of images to be viewed by our users. Sorry for the inconvenience." Earlier this year Etisalat shut Flickr.com down for a week.

Flickr UAE members forms one of four of the largest user clusters on Flickr. It is an enormous group. Its users are highly artistic, professional photographers who support and mentor other members on their creative work. Their work is comprised primarily of creative, serious, reasonable, artistic and respectful images that do nothing but support the principles, the culture and the traditions of the UAE as a whole in the eyes of the world.


This debate has been going on for some time on Flickr Central forums and Flickr administration has agreed to implement an 18+ filter and to control every Flickr member, which will resolve the issue Etisalat is taking a stand on.

Please support our efforts to keep freedom of speech and expression alive worldwide and to help our UAE bothers and sisters resume their vital and creative Flickr community.

FLICKR COMMUNITY


ETISALAT
SIXAPART
NOCHEAT
FLICKRFORUM