A du official said yesterday, “With immediate effect, all pornographic web sites will be blocked as per the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) requirements.”

Explaining as to why there was a delay in implementing the proxy, the official said, “Implementing and putting in place a process for content filtering requires long and careful planning and designing of systems, as we wanted a system that would be compatible with the future plans of the TRA as well. After the procurement and thorough testing of the equipment and systems, we implemented the content filtering process, when we had everything in place.”

Most affected by this decision are companies based in Dubai’s free zones and residents of freehold developments who have been using the du provided Internet without a proxy until now.

Earlier on April 11, Khaleej Times, while pointing out the same issue, had published a story titled “Internet users stumble across adult content” following complaints on the lax checks on the Internet content on the du web network.

The status of web sites such as Facebook and Skype (which is already banned in the UAE by TRA) will remain unaffected by the new curbs, said the official.

“du has blocked pornographic sites only, a move we are sure all parents will welcome. Content blocking guidelines are provided by the TRA and we abide by these,” he explained.

The TRA’s Internet Penetration Policy is expected to be announced by the end of the year. It hopes to clarify the status of Internet content in the country.

He also clarified that business will remain largely unaffected. “Normally business should not be affected because du has only blocked pornographic sites and sites that contain material that is offensive to the moral, cultural and social values of the UAE.