Saudi Arabia has blocked 5.5m internet links and sites since 2008

The Saudi Telecommunications Commission (STC) announced on Monday that it has blocked more than 5.5 million internet links and websites since 2008. The commission said that 91.4 per cent of the blocked sites featured pornographic content. It has handled more than 900,000 exploitative internet links and websites over the past year alone.

The STC is mandated with “combatting online pornography and child exploitation by blocking websites that feature child pornography and informing the relevant authorities and international organizations”. It is currently preparing the first draft of a proposed regulatory framework aimed at providing parental control for the country’s internet users.

Internet penetration in Saudi Arabia reached 46.8 per cent at the end of 2016, according to official figures.