Deutsche Welle: Google’s data plans in Saudi Arabia ‘will risk lives’: activists. “Internet giant Google is creating a ‘cloud region’ in Saudi Arabia. It says it will protect users there. But digital rights activists argue the firm will be putting the lives of government critics at risk.”
Saudi Gazette: Non-Saudis banned from publishing ads on social media. “The General Commission for Audiovisual Media has issued a circular banning non-Saudis from publishing advertisements on the social media. The commission noted that the practice of posting ads on social media by those who do not have a license for it is a violation of Saudi Arabia’s Labor Law, as well as the rules for dealing with expatriates.”
The Register: Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia are top sources of online misinformation . “Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia are the top three proliferators of state-linked Twitter misinformation campaigns, according to a report released Wednesday by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI).”
Zawya: Saudi Justice Ministry launches new digital platform. “The platform will allow the public, including parties of the case and lawyers, easy access to final commercial rulings issued by courts of the first instance, courts of appeal, and the Supreme Court, in addition to other legal documents.” There’s a section on “justice systems,” that’s in English, but the rest of the site is in Arabic. Google Translate handles it for the most part.
Albidad: How women on social media led a nutrition and fitness revolution in Saudi Arabia. “Five years ago, preschool teacher Nawal AlKalawi decided for the first time to create an Instagram account—she wanted to post a simple recipe for homemade banana muffins. A few hours later, that first post had more likes and comments than she could ever imagine…. Before long, her ‘Food Evaluation’ account had more than 16,000 followers, and she was also active on Snapchat and other platforms. Her efforts were changing the habits of whole families. Clearly, parents in Saudi Arabia were hungry for health information.”
Arab News: Fraudulent ad promoters on social media could face hefty fines, jail in Saudi Arabia. “Those who promote and advertise fraudulent goods on social media sites have been warned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution that they could face up to three years in prison or a SR1 million ($267,000) fine, or both.”
Arab News: A digital library offers Saudis affordable access to scholarly research. “Academic literature is usually hidden behind expensive paywalls or restricted to those who are affiliated with big organizations. Now Zendy, developed by Knowledge E, is offering users affordable access to scholarly works from around the world. In step with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 development agenda and its efforts to foster a culture of research, innovation and entrepreneurship, Zendy will give students, professionals and hobbyists access to thousands of articles, e-books and scholarly resources.”
Israel Hayom: Google plans Israel-Saudi Arabia link in massive fiber-optic project. “The underwater cable project, called Blue Raman route after Indian physicist Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, will be more than 8,000 kilometers (5,000 miles) long and is expected to cost $400 million. If completed, the network would mark the first time two nations with no formal diplomatic ties will be linked directly as part of an internet infrastructure project.”
Twitter Blog: Disclosing networks to our state-linked information operations archive. “Today we are disclosing five distinct networks of accounts to our archive of state-linked information operations. The accounts that we have published in our archive today – the only archive of its kind in the industry – include independent information operations that we have attributed to Iran, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, Thailand and Russia.”
BBC: Coronavirus: Saudi Arabia to gradually resume Umra pilgrimage. “Saudi Arabia is to gradually resume a Muslim pilgrimage which has been suspended for seven months because of the coronavirus pandemic. From 4 October, up to 6,000 Saudi citizens and residents will be allowed to undertake the Umra each day. Pilgrims from countries deemed safe will be permitted from 1 November, when the daily capacity will rise to 20,000.”
Arab News: Database gathers 2,000 items of virus-related info for Saudi researchers. “The library of data includes study documents, print and online news articles, videos, and other relevant content from sources around the world. The comprehensive COVID-19 database has been compiled by the Center for Research and Knowledge Networking in Riyadh and covers a range of medical, economic, and social fields linked to the global virus outbreak.”
Wired: A Saudi Prince’s Attempt to Silence Critics on Twitter. “IN 2014, MOHAMMED bin Salman’s uncle, King Abdullah, was nearing death. For more than 60 years, the Saudi crown had been passed from one son of the kingdom’s founder to the next, the heir being determined by a combination of seniority and consensus of the surviving brothers. Mohammed’s father, Crown Prince Salman, was set to inherit the throne upon Abdullah’s death. But anonymous Twitter users were spreading claims that Salman had dementia, and that presented a problem for Mohammed: If the rumors became accepted as fact by Saudis and foreigners, Salman’s brothers might feel pressure to elevate one of his rivals, cutting the Salman clan off from its claim to the throne and dashing Mohammed’s hopes of one day inheriting the crown.”
Gulf News: Saudi Arabia: Followers of arms sales groups on social media to face 10 years in prison. “Arms and contraband sales groups threaten their followers on social media with jail time and a hefty fine for entering these groups and failing to report their violations to authorities, local media reported. Under Saudi laws, followers of these arms sales groups bear legal responsibility as they fail to report these groups to authorities, and would face imprisonment up to 10 years and a fine of 5 million Saudi riyals if these groups support terrorism.”
New York Times: Late Action on Virus Prompts Fears Over Safety of U.S. Diplomats in Saudi Arabia. “Inside the sprawling American Embassy compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a coronavirus outbreak was spreading. Dozens of embassy employees became sick last month, and more than 20 others were quarantined after a birthday barbecue became a potential vector for the spread of the disease.”
