CITC denies plan to block WhatsApp before Ramadan

The Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) has denied reports it will block WhatsApp before Ramadan.
The CITC is the information and communications technology sector regulator in the Kingdom that works as a catalyst for the development of information technology in the country.
Responding to a report published in Arab News on June 14, “CITC: WhatsApp to be blocked before Ramadan,” the Kingdom’s telecom regulator denied any plan to block WhatsApp before the start of the holy month. It also denied that CITC Gov. Abdullah Al-Darrab had spoken to the newspaper by telephone.
Earlier this month, CITC blocked instant messaging and voice-over-IP (VoIP) app Viber saying it did not meet the regulatory requirements and laws in Saudi Arabia. It said in a statement it would take “appropriate action” against other applications, such as Skype, WhatsApp and Tango if they fail to comply with regulatory requirements and rules in force in the Kingdom.
According to an Arabic daily, CITC may block programs and applications that provide conversation and visual communication because they use encrypted connections.
Reacting to the news, both Saudi and non-Saudi users have expressed disappointment as some of the applications that might be halted have become vital conduits of communication between family and friends.
Saudi students on scholarships who use the Skype video application to contact their parents are also disappointed.
“I really don’t understand what they mean by monitoring,” said Khalid Tunsi, a finance student in the US. “If they cut off these applications, it will make my life really difficult because with this technology I am able to see my mother every day,” he said.
But CITC maintains it has taken action against Viber because it did not meet the regulatory requirements and similar action will be taken against other errant applications.