{"id":354291,"date":"2017-09-18T09:20:34","date_gmt":"2017-09-18T09:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=354291"},"modified":"2017-11-10T11:19:54","modified_gmt":"2017-11-10T11:19:54","slug":"snapchat-blocks-al-jazeera-in-saudi-arabia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/09\/snapchat-blocks-al-jazeera-in-saudi-arabia\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapchat blocks Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia"},"content":{"rendered":"
Social media platform Snapchat has blocked access to Al Jazeera content in Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n
Snapchat said it was asked by the Saudi authorities to remove the Qatari-backed broadcaster’s Discover Publisher Channel because it violated local laws.<\/p>\n
Qatar is in an ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE.<\/p>\n
The four countries cut ties with Qatar earlier this year, accusing the country of supporting terrorism.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia has one of the world’s most restrictive media environments, according to human rights groups and media freedom advocates.<\/p>\n
But the Saudi authorities have a particular dislike for Al Jazeera. At one point they had demanded Qatar’s government shut it down altogether as one of\u00a013 conditions\u00a0to remove sanctions against the country.<\/p>\n
Those conditions were later withdrawn.<\/p>\n
Saudi Arabia is one of the largest social media markets in the Middle East, boosted by a high rate of smart phone ownership.<\/p>\n
That can sometimes place US-listed companies like Snapchat’s parent Snap Inc in an awkward position, as local laws are far more restrictive than in many other markets.<\/p>\n
“We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate,” a Snapchat spokesperson said in a statement.<\/p>\n
–<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Social media platform Snapchat has blocked access to Al Jazeera content in Saudi Arabia. Snapchat said it was asked by the Saudi authorities to remove the Qatari-backed broadcaster’s Discover Publisher Channel because it violated local laws. Qatar is in an ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE. The four countries cut ties […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[106],"tags":[3,747,1082],"yoast_head":"\n