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Walid Al-Saqaf talk about Yemen Porta
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Yemen Portal: A gateway to online content on Yemen
Walid AL-SAQAF
Arab Techies WorkshopCairo – 24 Dec 2008
Yemen Portal: A gateway to online content on Yemen
Walid AL-SAQAF
Arab Techies WorkshopCairo – 24 Dec 2008
YemenPortal.netYemenPortal.netAggregating news, opinion, blog, forum, and video content covering Yemen. Currently standing at over 800,000 items retrieved since June 2007.
Aggregating news, opinion, blog, forum, and video content covering Yemen. Currently standing at over 800,000 items retrieved since June 2007.
How Yemen Portal worksHow Yemen Portal works
Since its launch, YemenPortal.net experienced steady growth, greater popularity and exposure
Since its launch, YemenPortal.net experienced steady growth, greater popularity and exposure
-Feedback was generally positive as the portal did not filter content based on content or affiliation of sources.
- whether a website was banned in Yemen or not was not taken into consideration when included on YemenPortal.net. All websites with their various affiliations were indexed and included.
-Feedback was generally positive as the portal did not filter content based on content or affiliation of sources.
- whether a website was banned in Yemen or not was not taken into consideration when included on YemenPortal.net. All websites with their various affiliations were indexed and included.
Analysis of the database content of YemenPortal.net
Things were going well,Things were going well,
until...
YemenPortal.net was blocked in Yemen
On January 19th, 2008A spike!
What happened on January 13, 2008?What happened on January 13, 2008?
What happened on January 13, 2008?
Most coverage on the demonstration was on the web
& very little was reported in mainstream media
Following the ban, there were only three choices:Following the ban, there were only three choices:
1) Surrender to government pressure and close down the website,
2) Filter out sources the government does not improve,
OR
3) Resistance!
Resistance starts...Resistance starts...- Solidarity meetings
- Renewing domain promptly
- Constantly updating members and online media with new domain
- Putting up advertisements on websites pointing to new domain
- Starting a public campaign locally, regionally and internationally
- Solidarity meetings
- Renewing domain promptly
- Constantly updating members and online media with new domain
- Putting up advertisements on websites pointing to new domain
- Starting a public campaign locally, regionally and internationally
And started a blog to campaign for freeing YemenPortal.net(freeyemenportal.org)
Resistance goes full-scaleResistance goes full-scale
- A portal that includes the content of all banned Yemeni
websites in one place
- Includes a web-based proxy allowing users access to any
Yemeni banned website
- Members were kept updated about the new domain and
means to reach the banned content
- Stories that appeared on YemenPortal.net were accessible
in their original website even if the later was banned
(through the internal web-based proxy)
- A portal that includes the content of all banned Yemeni
websites in one place
- Includes a web-based proxy allowing users access to any
Yemeni banned website
- Members were kept updated about the new domain and
means to reach the banned content
- Stories that appeared on YemenPortal.net were accessible
in their original website even if the later was banned
(through the internal web-based proxy)
and it was named...and it was named...
Government meets expectations... Government meets expectations...
and the second domain was also banned...
And it just went on...And it just went on...
There must be another way!
Access YemenPortal! (Firefox plug-in)Access YemenPortal! (Firefox plug-in)
-Accessible by email, on multiple open websites
-Applies multiple encryption methods
-Promoted through a network of Yemeni websites
Result...Result...
but less than 24 hours after that...but less than 24 hours after that...
Work in Progress… Road aheadWork in Progress… Road ahead
- Expanding YemenPortal.net’s outreach and services
- Replicating its example for the Arab world by launching ArabiaPortal.net
- Working on circumvention technologies with global players and other ‘techies’
- Promoting legal efforts to promote access to information in Yemen and the region
Contact information:
Walid Al-Saqaf
Founder, Administrator
YemenPortal.net
Tel: +46 076233 9737