Let’s Tango: Saudi Arabia lifts ban on online calling apps

Saudi Arabia will lift a ban on voice and video online calling apps today but will monitor and censor calls made using the platforms, the country’s Communications and Information Technology Commission announced.

“The move comes in an effort to fulfil our users’ needs and in line with global trends,” the agency said in a statement released yesterday.

The applications include FaceTime, Snapchat, Skype, Line, Telegram, Tango amongst others.

Adel Abu Hameed, spokesman for telecoms regulator CITC, said on Arabiya TV yesterday that new regulations were aimed mainly at protecting users’ personal information and blocking content that violated the kingdom’s laws.

Asked if the apps could be monitored by the authorities or companies, he said:

Under no circumstances can the user use an application for video or voice calling without monitoring and censorship by the Communications and Information Technology Commission, whether the application is global or local.

The commission noted that a very limited number of applications would not work because they did not meet regulatory requirements.

Minister of Communication and Information Technology, Abdullah Al-Swaha, had called for the ban to be lifted within a week.

According to the commission, the Kingdom had 47.9 million telephone subscribers at the end of 2016.

Read: Saudi Arabia calls on citizens to report social media activists