The Sultanate of Oman is located on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It has a population of about 4.6 million people. Oman has relatively strict internet censorship laws compared to other countries in the region. A number of websites are blocked or restricted by internet service providers in Oman.
Background on Internet Censorship in Oman
Oman established its national telecommunications regulatory authority called the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) in 2002. The TRA oversees and regulates all telecommunications services in Oman including internet access.
In January 2011, Oman introduced a new Cybercrime Law known as Royal Decree No. 12/2011. This law criminalizes a wide range of online activities including downloading or sharing pornography, violating religious values, engaging in online gambling, and using the internet to violate public order or morals. The law also makes it illegal to use any means of information technology to criticize Oman’s head of state.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority uses the provisions under this cybercrime law to order internet service providers operating in Oman to block access to certain websites that are deemed illegal or against Oman’s public and moral interests. The TRA also oversees and regulates content on online media. Websites found to contain prohibited content may be blocked or shut down.
Categories of Websites Blocked in Oman
According to reports, the types of websites typically blocked in Oman include:
Pornographic Websites
Access to pornography and adult content is restricted in Oman. Websites containing pornographic images, videos, or content are blocked by internet service providers in the country. Some examples include major adult websites like Pornhub, Redtube, and XNXX.
LGBTQ Websites
Websites promoting or associated with LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning) issues, rights, organizations, content etc are blocked. For example, websites like ItGetsBetter.org which aims to uplift, empower and connect LGBTQ+ youth around the globe is restricted.
Gambling Websites
Gambling activities both online and offline are strictly prohibited in Oman. Websites providing online gambling, betting, lottery services are blocked. Some examples are Bet365, Betfair, William Hill.
Dating Websites
Websites focused on providing dating services especially those containing sexual or erotic content are blocked in Oman. For example, popular online dating platforms like Tinder, OkCupid, Match.com cannot be accessed.
Websites Deemed Anti-Islamic
Oman blocks websites that are deemed contrary to Islamic principles or values. This includes sites promoting atheism or criticizing Islam. For example, the website Answering-Islam which contains articles challenging the Islamic faith is blocked.
Proxy & VPN Websites
To enforce internet censorship, Oman blocks access to websites that provide workarounds such as proxy servers or VPN services which can be used to bypass the censorship filters. Popular VPN service providers like NordVPN, ExpressVPN, IPVanish etc are restricted.
VoIP & Messaging Apps
Oman’s telecom companies have historically blocked apps providing free messaging or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services like Skype, FaceTime, WhatsApp calling, Viber etc. However, this stance has softened recently. WhatsApp calling is now allowed while Skype and FaceTime remain blocked.
Human Rights & Political Activism Sites
Websites promoting political reform or human rights causes in Oman are blocked. For example access to the Arabic language news site Al Zaman which often reports on corruption is blocked within the country. Certain political blogs and activist sites may also be restricted at the TRA’s discretion.
Other
In addition to the broad categories above, specific websites may be blocked if they contain content deemed illegal, harmful or against public interest according to Oman’s laws. The TRA periodically updates its firewall and internet filters to add new sites to blocklists.
Methods Used for Blocking
The primary methods used for blocking websites in Oman are:
- IP blocking – Blacklisting the IP address of a website so that requests cannot be routed to it.
- DNS filtering – Removing domain names from the domain name system to make them unreachable.
- URL filtering – Blocking specific webpage URLs containing prohibited content.
- Packet inspection – Filtering data packets to block requests for banned websites.
These filtering techniques are implemented at the ISP level with telecom companies required to comply with TRA’s block directives. Some ISPs may opt to use transparent proxies to redirect users instead of outright blocking. The censorship system continues to evolve and become more sophisticated over the years.
Circumventing Blocks
Despite the blocks, many internet users in Oman are able to circumvent the restrictions using technical workarounds:
- VPNs – Virtual Private Networks allow users to encrypt traffic and route it through servers abroad to access blocked content.
- Tor – Routes connections through a worldwide volunteer network to conceal browsing activities.
- Proxies – Intermediary servers outside Oman that can unblock sites.
- Alternative DNS – Using non-local DNS resolves that return full unfiltered results.
- Mirror sites – Accessing mirror sites which reproduce content from blocked websites.
- Circumvention tools – Software tools like Psiphon specifically designed to get around internet censorship.
Using circumvention methods to access blocked content is considered a violation of Oman’s cybercrime laws. If discovered, users may face fines, arrest or imprisonment. Despite this, many actively make use of VPN services to bypass the country’s strict online censorship.
Conclusion
Oman employs a far-reaching internet filtering system that blocks access to broad categories of websites including pornography, LGBTQ content, gambling sites, dating sites, and political activism platforms. However, technical methods like VPNs remain a popular way for users to circumvent these restrictions. The availability of censorship circumvention tools makes truly comprehensive blocking virtually impossible and limits the effectiveness of Oman’s internet censorship regime.