Internet censorship in Morocco
Encyclopedia
As of March 2006, Morocco
had blocked access to many blogging sites, such as LiveJournal
. Reporters Without Borders
says that Morocco now censors all political websites advocating Western Sahara
's separatism ideas. Google Earth
is on the list of censored websites in Morocco, though, very briefly in February 2011, it was downloadable and working. In 2007 Morocco's main telecommunication operator Maroc Telecom
(a subsidiary of Vivendi
) also censored YouTube
for some days, without giving any reason for it.
Morocco also blocked some sites allowing censorship circumvention.
, Islamist extremists and fundamentalists, as well as sites carrying non official or subversive information about the king Mohammed VI such as parodic videos as in Youtube
.
(also called Blogoma or Blogma) and Moroccan internauts as well as the printed press, as the site was immensely popular. Some days later Maroc Telecom lifted the ban. The public reaction was one the founding events of the consciousness and the fight against internet censorship in Morocco.
, a small Berber
town in northern Morocco, posted on Youtube several videos of good quality showing Moroccan police officers, one after another, accepting cash bribes from truck drivers and potential smugglers. The videos generated wide debate on the press and discussions on the Internet, but they were never mentioned in the state media. Many were seeing them as a new way of cyberactivism by fighting the widespread corruption
in the government institutions.
The videos led to the arrest of nine corrupt policemen and the transfer of others.
engineer
who was sentenced by a Casablanca
court to three years in prison for creating a fake profile of the king’s brother on Facebook
. He was convicted on February 23, 2008 of “villainous practices linked to the alleged theft" of the Crown Prince Moulay Rachid's identity. Fouad was sentenced to 3 years of jail plus a fine of 10,000 Moroccan Dirhams. But on the evening of March 18, 2008, Fouad was released by a royal pardon after spending 43 days in jail.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
had blocked access to many blogging sites, such as LiveJournal
LiveJournal
LiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....
. Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
says that Morocco now censors all political websites advocating Western Sahara
Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
's separatism ideas. Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
is on the list of censored websites in Morocco, though, very briefly in February 2011, it was downloadable and working. In 2007 Morocco's main telecommunication operator Maroc Telecom
Maroc Telecom
Maroc Telecom is the main telecommunication company in Morocco.IAM employs around 11,178 employees. It has 8 regional delegations with 220 offices present on all the territory of Morocco.IAM is controlled by Vivendi which has a 53% share of its capital...
(a subsidiary of Vivendi
Vivendi
Vivendi SA is a French international media conglomerate with activities in music, television and film, publishing, telecommunications, the Internet, and video games. It is headquartered in Paris.- History :...
) also censored YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
for some days, without giving any reason for it.
Morocco also blocked some sites allowing censorship circumvention.
Main causes of censorship
As there has been no judiciary decisions leading to sites blocking, one can only speculate about the real reason; some patterns emerge though, it seems that the blocked sites are often related to the Polisario movement claiming independence of Western SaharaWestern Sahara
Western Sahara is a disputed territory in North Africa, bordered by Morocco to the north, Algeria to the northeast, Mauritania to the east and south, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Its surface area amounts to . It is one of the most sparsely populated territories in the world, mainly...
, Islamist extremists and fundamentalists, as well as sites carrying non official or subversive information about the king Mohammed VI such as parodic videos as in Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
The Youtube Ban
When Videos judged offensive to the king were posted on YouTube, Maroc Telecom decided to ban the site, without basing its act on a judiciary decision. This has led to an immense uproar among the Moroccan blogosphereBlogosphere
The blogosphere is made up of all blogs and their interconnections. The term implies that blogs exist together as a connected community or as a social network in which everyday authors can publish their opinions...
(also called Blogoma or Blogma) and Moroccan internauts as well as the printed press, as the site was immensely popular. Some days later Maroc Telecom lifted the ban. The public reaction was one the founding events of the consciousness and the fight against internet censorship in Morocco.
The Targuist Sniper case
An anonymous person calling himself the "Targuist Sniper" from TarguistTarguist
Targuist is a town in Al Hoceïma Province, Taza-Al Hoceima-Taounate, Morocco. According to the 2004 census it has a population of 11,560.-References:...
, a small Berber
Berber people
Berbers are the indigenous peoples of North Africa west of the Nile Valley. They are continuously distributed from the Atlantic to the Siwa oasis, in Egypt, and from the Mediterranean to the Niger River. Historically they spoke the Berber language or varieties of it, which together form a branch...
town in northern Morocco, posted on Youtube several videos of good quality showing Moroccan police officers, one after another, accepting cash bribes from truck drivers and potential smugglers. The videos generated wide debate on the press and discussions on the Internet, but they were never mentioned in the state media. Many were seeing them as a new way of cyberactivism by fighting the widespread corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the government institutions.
The videos led to the arrest of nine corrupt policemen and the transfer of others.
The Fouad Mourtada case
Fouad Mourtada is a 26-year old MoroccanMorocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
who was sentenced by a Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
court to three years in prison for creating a fake profile of the king’s brother on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. He was convicted on February 23, 2008 of “villainous practices linked to the alleged theft" of the Crown Prince Moulay Rachid's identity. Fouad was sentenced to 3 years of jail plus a fine of 10,000 Moroccan Dirhams. But on the evening of March 18, 2008, Fouad was released by a royal pardon after spending 43 days in jail.
Law
There is no particular law governing or defining Internet censorship criteria, sites are often blocked and unblocked without giving any justification as was the case with YouTube.See also
- Media of MoroccoMedia of Morocco-Early history:The first newspaper to appear in Morocco was an English weekly called "Maghreb Al Aksa" in 1877. Such publications were not generally available in Moroccan cities until 1908. There was one newspaper before : El Eco de Tetuán 1860 in Spanish...
- Morocco continues to censure the web
External links
- A study conducted by OpenNet initiative about Internet censorship in the mena region (Middle East and North Africa)
- Interview of a Moroccan Internet activist
- A Taguist Sniper Video on YoutubeAn online petition against Internet censorship in Morocco
- How to Bypass Internet Censorship, also known by the titles: Bypassing Internet Censorship or Circumvention Tools, a FLOSSFlossFloss may refer to:* Dental floss, used to clean teeth* Embroidery thread, machine or hand-spun yarn for embroidery* Fairy floss or candyfloss, alternative names for cotton candy* Rousong, i.e. meat floss-Computing:...
Manual, 10 March 2011, 240 pp.