A site that will not open for you may be blocked, and it may be blocked by mistake. Both cases go through a single form on the site of the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, which has a field called “request type” with two options: block, or unblock.
What the authority says about its role
The authority receives requests to block electronic content that conflicts with the public interest, including public morals, the teachings of Islam, public order, and any other content prohibited under the country’s laws.
On receiving a request it reviews it and acts: blocking the content if it is prohibited, or lifting a block if the request shows an error in classifying it as prohibited content. That last clause is the open door for anyone harmed by an unjustified block.
The five categories on the form
- Online fraud.
- Intellectual property and copyright.
- Violation of children’s rights.
- Breach of the country’s laws and the principles of Islam, where the relevant law must be attached.
- Malware and unsuitable content.
The first category means something practical for every user: a fraudulent site is reported here, not in a comment under a post. Anyone who has clicked a link that harvests data has an official, categorised escalation channel.
The detail that reveals how blocking works
The form asks you to pick your internet service provider from a list that includes: Ooredoo, Zain, Kuwait Telecommunications, Qualitynet, B.Online, KEMS, Mada, FASTtelco and Virgin Mobile.
The presence of that field means enforcement runs through the providers. And that explains a situation many people know: a site that opens on one network and not on another. If you hit it, it is not a fault on your device, and it is exactly what to describe in the details box.
What to prepare before sending
The form asks you to specify the block category — website or app — then the details, then the applicant’s data: name, email, phone number, with a verification code.
In the details, put the full address, the provider, the date and time, and exactly what you saw. And if your request is to lift a block, explain why you consider the classification wrong, since that is the criterion the page itself sets out.
Source: the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority, the page for requesting a block or unblock of electronic content.
Photo: Liberation Tower from the street, 2005. By forzaq8, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.
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