Qatar & Internet censorship

Techcrunch posted an entry about how Wikipedia is banning users from Qatar. This excerpt from the article is interesting to note:

Apparently Qatar has a single ISP, Qtel, with a single IP address shared by the entire country. Wikipedia has blocked that IP address for anonymous edits,...

A single IP address shared by the entire country? Wow. Read the thread of comments, as it includes a reply from Jimbo Wales of Wikipedia clarifying the situation. Jimbo Wales is the co-founder of Wikipedia.

Similarly, it's interesting to note how the regulators in Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia are blocking access to VOIP services such as Skype. One theory suggested by Phil Wolff:

Motives may be economic. About 2.5 million people live in the UAE, 1.6 million are non-nationals. There are more phones than people: 1.1 million land lines (operated by Etisalat) and 2.9 million mobile. Etisalat has a monopoly on telephony.

We're lucky that Malaysia is free from government-initiated censorship regulations. Let's hope it stays that way for the benefit of the new economy.

Related links:

• Techcrunch: Wikipedia bans Qatar
• Skype Journal: UAE blocks Skype.com