Naughty photo prompts PHL execs in Saudi to issue social media reminders
A naughty photo of a female model in a flimsy outfit, posted by a Filipino community organization, prompted the the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh to issue reminders on the prudent use of social media.
In a news release issued on Wednesday, the embassy said the photo "drew negative reactions from locals," who asked the embassy to remind Filipinos against uploading such material online.
The embassy noted that these photos "are inconsistent with local customs and cultural sensitivities."
In a news release issued on Wednesday, the embassy said the photo "drew negative reactions from locals," who asked the embassy to remind Filipinos against uploading such material online.
The embassy noted that these photos "are inconsistent with local customs and cultural sensitivities."
The embassy urged Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to be prudent and careful about the nature of photos and videos that they upload on social media sites.
"The embassy is issuing this advisory to avoid unnecessary actions that might be taken against any group or individual by local authorities," it said.
Saudi Arabia is host to around 1.2 million Filipinos, mostly employed as domestic helpers and in the service and construction sectors.
Partying nurses
The report said the birthday party at the King Fahd Hospital in the eastern town of Hofouf is “strictly banned at Saudi hospitals and other public facilities.”
Internet usage in Arab countries
According to the website al-Bab.com, “Arab countries lagged behind most of the world in adopting the Internet” because of its cost and the difficulty of using Arabic in computer systems.
However, the site added that “having accepted the inevitability of the Internet, the first instinct of Arab regimes was to look for ways to control it.”
“This was based partly on their fears of political subversion but also on the fears of conservative and religious elements that would undermine ‘traditional’ values—fears that in both cases were well-founded,” it said.
Governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have issued their own sets of rules on Internet usage, mostly rooted on grounds of religion and conservatism.
On its website, the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation–Etisalat provided a list of “Prohibited Content Categories” in the UAE, which include:
“Additionally, legal controls limit free expression and behavior, restricting political discourse and dissent online,” it said.
Etisalat, however, noted that among the exemptions are chatting services and social networking sites.
Last year, Emirates 24|7 said that majority of Internet users in the UAE go online to access their Facebook profiles.
In KSA’'s case, al-Bab.com said Internet users are prohibited from “publishing or accessing” the following:
- with a report from Rose-An Jessica Dioquino, VVP, GMA NewsSaudi Arabia is host to around 1.2 million Filipinos, mostly employed as domestic helpers and in the service and construction sectors.
Partying nurses
In January this year, the news site Emirates 24/7 reported that health officials in Saudi Arabia were investigating Asian nurses, including some who are believed to be Filipinos, after they were seen in three YouTube videos dancing at a "mixed-gender birthday party” in a government hospital there.
The videos showed several male and female nurses, believed to be from the Philippines and Indonesia, who were “involved in the concert that included music and dances.”
Internet usage in Arab countries
According to the website al-Bab.com, “Arab countries lagged behind most of the world in adopting the Internet” because of its cost and the difficulty of using Arabic in computer systems.
However, the site added that “having accepted the inevitability of the Internet, the first instinct of Arab regimes was to look for ways to control it.”
“This was based partly on their fears of political subversion but also on the fears of conservative and religious elements that would undermine ‘traditional’ values—fears that in both cases were well-founded,” it said.
Governments of the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have issued their own sets of rules on Internet usage, mostly rooted on grounds of religion and conservatism.
On its website, the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation–Etisalat provided a list of “Prohibited Content Categories” in the UAE, which include:
- online dating or matchmaking sites;
- gambling sites, including those with sports picks and horse, car, or boat racing;
- sites with hacking codes; and
- sites providing unlicensed Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service (which, in turn, blocks Skype).
“Additionally, legal controls limit free expression and behavior, restricting political discourse and dissent online,” it said.
Etisalat, however, noted that among the exemptions are chatting services and social networking sites.
Last year, Emirates 24|7 said that majority of Internet users in the UAE go online to access their Facebook profiles.
In KSA’'s case, al-Bab.com said Internet users are prohibited from “publishing or accessing” the following:
- Anything contravening a fundamental principle or legislation, or infringing the sanctity of Islam, or breaching public decency;
- Anything contrary to the state or its system;
- Reports of news damaging to the Saudi Arabia armed forces, without the approval of competent authorities;
- Anything damaging to the dignity of heads of states or heads of credited diplomatic missions in the kingdom, or that harms relations with those countries;
- Any false information ascribed to state officials or those of private or public domestic institutions and bodies that may damage their integrity;
- Subversive ideas or the disruption of public order or disputes among citizens; and
- Any slanderous or libelous material against individuals.
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