OPW – Nov 3 – Irena and I
were in Dubai for a few days so we thought we'd see which dating sites
were blocked and which made it past government filtering. Specifically
any 'Internet Content that contradicts the ethics and morals of the UAE
including Nudity and Dating' get blocked. iDating doesn't fit the
religion and culture of UAE. Matrimonials sites, on the other hand, are
ok.
Match, Plentyoffish and OKCupid were blocked. I thought
World Singles Arablounge.com might make the cut, but no. It was
blocked. China dating sites Zhenai, Baihe and Jiayuan were all blocked
as well. We got through to Facebook and thought we'd have more luck
with people discovery services. Badoo was blocked but Tagged and Meetme
were ok. Matrimonials sites made the cut. Shaadi, Bharat Matrimony
and Jeevansathi were all available in Dubai. We were especially pleased
that Online Personals Watch and Social Networking Watch were available
as well. Of course, as soon as I fired up my VPN I could get to
everything. Dubai Internet City also enjoys open access and alternative
ISP Du is more lenient than Etisalat. [Full Disclosure: POF and Meetme
are clients of Courtland Brooks]
