patrick_f Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Hello all!!! I am currently in a big dilemma. I am working/living in the UAE, a muslim country in the middle east. They regularly block or censor just about anything that they consider "offensive", including medical websites and photography websites. In the book stores they feel the need to go through art books (renoir, degas, rembrant, etc) with a black magic marker and black out ANY nudity! Well, once again they have completely blocked access to this site, which normally I and many other people visit every day! Please, if you have the time, email there internet server and tell them to restore access to this wonderful educational website! You can email them at: watch@emirates.net.ae Please do so, and help end this rediculous injustice!!!! Thankyou in advance!Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravi_swamy Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 google for anonymous proxy relays, that may help you unless they block those too which they probably do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Patrick. You have to follow the laws of the place where you live. If you don't like them, you have the freedom to move I guess. If you chose to live in a muslim theocracy, I'm afraid you have to abide by their rules. Doing otherwise just makes you another "ugly american". Photo.net contains a lot of nudity. If they censor all nudity it makes perfect sense (to them) to ban access to photo.net. What else could they do? I doubt asking them to allow a few nudes through their filters just for you is going to help, even if you promise not to look at the naked pictures! Please try to keep "on topic" with replies. If this thread degenerates into "arab bashing", offending posts will be removed and appropriate action taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carl photography Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Religion may or may not have brought us into this world, but it sure as hell will take us all out someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelly_flanigan1 Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 RE <I>In the book stores they feel the need to go through art books (renoir, degas, rembrant, etc) with a black magic marker and black out ANY nudity!</i><BR><BR>My grade school Librarian ; Miss Crowfoot; did this too; in the USA midwest. But then "black magic markers" were expensive; so she used a razor blade; and just swiss cheesed the books and magazines. This just made us kids seek out what was cut out. Sometimes she cut out ads; images where men didnt "wear hats in public". <BR><BR>You need to weight the penality of getting caught; ie breaking the local laws. For us kids; we got paddled in school if caught viewing too racy an image. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 Little old ladies still do this in Yokohama, Japanot of cross hatching going on. In Japan, there must never be any pubic hair. This in a country where the sex trade is an accepted way of life. Go figure. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_woodard Posted September 5, 2004 Share Posted September 5, 2004 under close scruitiny I doubt, if pressed that photo.net would be allowed in any public school in America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 This is a problem that's not going to go away, even in the US. The only "solution" would be to put the gallery (and maybe a couple of static content articles) on a different server with a different IP address, then get that one blocked by those who want to censor content and allow the other one through. Yes, there may be very occasional nudes posted in forums, but I don't think that is what is bothering those who are applying blocks on photo.net. This is much easier said than done of course, and as a matter of principle you could take a "take it all or don't take any of it" position if you oppose censorship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seven Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 It's not photo.net's problem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 The general problem of the site being blocked by filters is that it reduces the number of people able to access the site, and no business needs fewer potential customers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_f Posted September 6, 2004 Author Share Posted September 6, 2004 Well, actually, for the last several months, they only blocked all photos (dont ask me how) but one was able to access the forums. It was only recently that they totally blocked the entire site for the 3rd time in the last 6 months. Today it is back on - so I guess at least some people helped me (and everyone else over here) out! No, I had no intention AT ALL to make this a Arab/Muslim bashing thread! Thus, I excercised (in my humble opinion!) alot of self control in the wording of my original post! Believe me, there were many things I wanted to say but didnt! The problem is not only photography websites...medical websites among others are blocked because of the mere word sex - in the context of gender! Furthermore, Mr. Atkins, I cannot leave this place, though I would in a heart beat if I had the chance! No, I am "stuck" here thanks to the US Govt. Never the less, the site is back on (minus the photos!) so thank you to everyone who helped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 Glad to hear you're back on line with photo.net. <p> I guess you have to live with whatever the local customs are wherever you live. They may not make sense to you, but I guess it's not your call. I'm sure there are parts of the US that would like to do the same... <p> Still, it's not as bad as China, where it's a serious criminal offense to distribute nudity via the internet: <p> <em>From the walled compounds where China's Communist leadership runs the country has come the word: no more porn. No more nudity on the Internet. No more late-night erotica on the phone. Goodbye to racy text messages on the mobile....Chinese police have announced that since the crackdown began July 16, they have shut down about 700 pornographic Web sites and arrested 329 people involved in their operation. One operator in Sichuan province, identified as Deng Minjiang, was sentenced Monday to a year and a half in prison for spreading pornography via his Singing Phoenix Web site and its more than 200,000 visitors</em> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_woodard Posted September 6, 2004 Share Posted September 6, 2004 God forbid amerika loses its porn, whats left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_evans4 Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 <p><em>In Japan, there must never be any pubic hair.</em></p><p>When were you last in Japan? What purport to be news magazines (let alone men's magazines) routinely display pubic hair, and have been doing so for years.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
constance_cook Posted September 9, 2004 Share Posted September 9, 2004 May. The law is still on the books and while pubic hair appears in some low-line papers, the regular (Playboy-types) still have to toe the line on pubic hair. Conni Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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