Gulf Daily News – 18 August 2006
By EUNICE del ROSARIO
INTERNET users in Bahrain are being urged to report directly to Google if they encounter any problems accessing its free web-based services.
A spokesman for Internet giant Google told the GDN from the US yesterday that the company was now looking into reports coming from Bahrain to determine the cause of earlier unexplained disappearances of Google Earth, Maps and Videos.
“We have heard conflicting reports about Google Earth access problems for our users in Bahrain and we are looking into these reports to determine the cause and welcome any input from our users there,” he said.
Gulf Daily News – 18 August 2006
By EUNICE del ROSARIOINTERNET users in Bahrain are being urged to report directly to Google if they encounter any problems accessing its free web-based services.
A spokesman for Internet giant Google told the GDN from the US yesterday that the company was now looking into reports coming from Bahrain to determine the cause of earlier unexplained disappearances of Google Earth, Maps and Videos.
“We have heard conflicting reports about Google Earth access problems for our users in Bahrain and we are looking into these reports to determine the cause and welcome any input from our users there,” he said.
“We believe that Google Earth is a great product that helps people see our planet and their local area in powerful and useful ways.
“All the information on Google Earth is publicly available from a range of sources.”
Internet users in Bahrain are welcome to leave their feedback by logging on to www.google.com and clicking on About Google.
Google Earth, Maps and Videos went back online last Tuesday, but the mystery surrounding their earlier disappearances went unexplained with officials from the Information Ministry declining to speak on the record.
The online services were not accessible on Monday, with online satellite imaging service Google Earth having been offline for several days.
A Batelco spokesman maintained that the company was not responsible for such decisions.
He said earlier that the company would not block any web service unless it had been ordered to do so by the Information Ministry.
Controversy over alleged blocking of the services has prompted criticisms from users and human rights activists.
Former vice-president of the now-dissolved Bahrain Centre for Human Rights (BCHR) Nabeel Rajab said the government was also responsible for blocking sites with political content.
They include Bahrain Online (bahrainonline.org), Montadayat Al Bahrain (montadayat.org), Bahrain National Committee for Martyrs and Victims of Torture (shaheedbh.com), Sarah Al Wattani (wattani.net), Ahrar Al Bahrain (ahraralbahrain. com), Bahrain Times (bahraintimes.org), Al Saheefa (al saheefa.net) and Tubli.net.
When users try to access the above sites in Bahrain, they are told the site is either “forbidden” or that the page cannot be displayed.