United Arab Emirates
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Watch the UAE launch its first Mars mission at 5:58PM ET
The UAE is launching its first mission to Mars at 5:58PM Eastern, and you can watch it live.
Messaging app ToTok is reportedly a spying tool for the UAE
It's no secret that some messaging apps are favored by authoritarians, but one app may be explicitly designed with spying in mind. Unnamed US officials speaking to the New York Times say that the chat app ToTok is believed to be a surveillance tool for the United Arab Emirates. According to a classified intelligence report, the UAE uses ToTok to follow users' conversations, track locations (under the guise of weather), determine social connections and look at media. Most of the app's million of users live in the UAE, but it's popular elsewhere in the world and has seen a surge of demand in the US.
Tesla Cybertruck will join Dubai's eclectic police fleet
Dubai's police force is well-known for incorporating supercars and other oddities into its fleet, but its latest might be the most eccentric to date. The law enforcement agency has revealed that it'll add Tesla's Cybertruck to its stable -- it claims this will happen in 2020, but that's clearly not happening when production doesn't start until late 2021. Commander-in-Chief Maj Gen. Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri explained that this would help "enhance security presence" in tourist spots like the Burj Khalifa. Goodness knows you're less likely to speed if an electric death wedge is likely to hunt you down.
Twitter bans thousands of state-backed accounts spreading misinformation
Twitter has suspended thousands of accounts linked with state-backed misinformation campaigns. In a transparency report shared today, Twitter says it removed 4,248 accounts from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), 273 accounts from the UAE and Egypt, 1,019 accounts based in Ecuador, 265 accounts from Spain and six accounts from Saudi Arabia. It also released more data on 4,301 of the 200,000 accounts from China and Hong Kong that were suspended for stoking unrest around the Hong Kong protests.
UAE debuts the world's largest individual solar power project
The United Arab Emirates might still be associated with oil money, but it just set a record for reducing its dependence on oil. The Emirate Water and Electricity Company has started running Noor Abu Dhabi, the largest individual solar power project in the world. At 1.18 gigawatts of peak capacity, it's only eclipsed by solar parks (where multiple projects share space) -- it makes the US' biggest facility, the 569MW Solar Star, seem modest by comparison.
ICYMI: Microsoft's drone simulator and Dubai's hover taxis
Today on In Case You Missed It: Why get stuck in traffic when you can simply fly over it? At least, that's Dubai's plan. The UAE's largest city announced its intent to unleash swarms of EHang 184 "Personal Flying Vehicles" -- the same ones that wowed crowds at last year's CES show -- to ferry citizens around town starting as early as this July. We also take a look at Microsoft's new open-source UAV simulator, the Aerial Informatics and Robotics Platform. With it, drone designers will be able to program and test their flying creations for autonomous operation without having to worry about their precious prototypes crashing and burning. Or getting attacked by wildlife. Or being shot out of the sky by trigger-happy property owners. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Distro Issue 60: Infinitec's rebirth gets Kickstarted in the Dubai desert
Another week has come to a close and that signals the arrival of a brand spanking new issue of our weekly e-magazine. This time out, Darren Murph makes the trek to the United Arab Emirates to chat with Ahmad Zahran about how crowd sourcing has jumpstarted his company, Infinitec, for a second time. We also pay a visit to the Paris Auto Show to take a gander at the latest in transportation tech, while Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite and the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G get the full review treatment. "Eyes-on" tackles a suitcase full of sound, "Weekly Stat" offers a look at data consumption amongst Android users and NVIDIA's Nick Stam tells all in the Q&A. Grab a spot in your favorite reading chair because the latest issue is just a few clicks away. Distro Issue 60 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
UAE plans enterprise-class messaging ban for individuals and small companies?
Seems the United Arab Emirates wasn't satisfied with the spying agreements that RIM put in place -- now, the government's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority will reportedly restrict BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) services to companies with more than twenty BlackBerry accounts each. Interestingly, the TRA itself denies that any services will be halted to individuals or small firms, even as RIM itself claims that such a ban will indeed take effect, though RIM also claims that it "would be an industrywide policy applying equally to all enterprise solution providers," happily suggesting that competitors would also be affected. The ban is apparently scheduled for May 1st, so there won't be long to wait -- at the very least, we'll see who's telling the truth two weeks from today.
UAE says BlackBerry is now compliant with regulations, free to rock on
The latest thrilling installment in BlackBerry's Middle East saga has turned out not to be so thrilling after all. Having set an October 11 deadline for RIM to comply with its "telecommunications regulatory framework," the United Arab Emirates is today reporting that the BlackBerry maker has managed to make the necessary changes with plenty of time to spare. Consequently, there'll be no state-ordained curtailing of email, web, or BBM services within the UAE, which mirrors similar agreements that BlackBerry has managed to finagle with India and Saudi Arabia. Of course, the grand purpose of the UAE's ultimatum was for RIM to allow the state access to encrypted messaging communications, and while the current announcement is pointedly missing details on what's been done to appease the Abu Dhabi decision makers, we can't imagine them giving up the fight without RIM making some type of concession. And the shady, undisclosed concessions happen to be our least favorite kind.
iPhone 4 hits UAE and Qatar, but without FaceTime installed
The iPhone 4 launched this weekend in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, but buyers wound up with a surprise -- their handset's front-facing cameras couldn't do FaceTime. The National reports that the video chat feature is missing from phones sold at UAE carriers Etisalat and du, as well as those from Vodafone Qatar. Carriers are blaming Apple for the missing feature, and spokespersons from both Etisalat and Vodafone say they're speaking to Cupertino about reinstating FaceTime post-haste; It was reportedly advertised on Middle Eastern versions of Apple's iPhone website until around September 20th, when all references to FaceTime were removed. TUAW reports that some UAE denizens have actually tested FaceTime on phones bought abroad and found it working just fine, but that the functionality disappears after installing the local version of the iOS 4.1 update. RIM's Mike Lazaridis famously warned that countries threatening to ban the BlackBerry might thumb their nose at other forms of internet transmission too, but if's far too early to tell if Apple was pressured into removing FaceTime or chose to for another reason entirely. It's worth noting that both the UAE and Egypt (also missing FaceTime website ads) have banned certain VoIP services in the past. [Thanks, Mohammed]
Confirmed: No FaceTime in UAE, reported working in SA unless phones are updated
We just got some confirmation on our story earlier this week that FaceTime had gone missing in parts of the world, mostly around the Middle East. @dutweets is the official Twitter account for du, the telecom operator for the iPhone in the United Arab Emirates, and in a tweet just a little while ago, the account confirmed that FaceTime is currently unavailable in that country. The iPhone hasn't even officially launched there yet, but the account also says that FaceTime "won't be working as of the launch" (which takes place tomorrow), so even official customers there won't have access to the video chat feature. Unfortunately, there's no detail yet on why -- we've heard that there may be local restrictions on VoIP technology that would block these kinds of communications. And this is only confirmation for the UAE, though it's probably a pretty good guess that other outages are legit as well. Stay tuned -- we'll keep an eye out for official confirmation in other areas, as well as a reason why this decision was made. Thanks, Joe! Update: The Next Web Middle East has a confusing writeup that suggests Apple pulled FaceTime because it was assumed assumed the feature would run afoul of the region's regulations around VoIP. The suggestion is that Apple made this move unilaterally, without consulting the carriers. Update 2: We have a report from a Saudi Arabian source that FaceTime is working in the kingdom. However, subsequent reports show that once the iPhones are updated from the shipping iOS version, 4.02, to the current 4.1 version, the FaceTime feature drops away.
Mafia 2 banned in United Arab Emirates
According to a report from ME Gamers, the United Arab Emirates National Media Council has officially banned the sale of Mafia 2 within its borders. No statement has been formally issued by the NMC regarding the ban, though a report from Arabian Business (via Gamasutra) cites "excessive violence and nudity contained in the game." Mafia 2 joins a laundry list of other titles deemed inappropriate by the UAE's media governance body, including this year's Heavy Rain and Darksiders. That said, reports in the past have pointed out the relative ease with which UAE residents can still pick up various "banned" games. Mafia 2 has been criticized by UNICO National, an Italian American organization, as a "pile of racist nonsense." The game was also criticized by Joystiq for forcing us to spend "way too much time in shallow block-counter-repeat fistfights or behind the wheel of a clunky automobile."
RIM's Lazaridis: if goverments can't deal with the internet, 'they should shut it off'
RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis has made some pretty bold statements in the past, but he may just have topped himself in responding to the recent issue of countries banning or threatening to ban BlackBerrys -- to which you can now add Indonesia to the list. Speaking with The Wall Street Journal in what's described as a "fiery" interview, Lazaridis said that "this is about the Internet," and that "everything on the Internet is encrypted. This not a BlackBerry-only issue," before adding that if "they can't deal with the Internet, they should shut it off." But that's not all. Lazaridis further went on to saying that "we're going to continue to work with them to make sure they understand the reality of the Internet," noting that "a lot of these people don't have Ph.Ds, and they don't have a degree in computer science." Despite those statements, however, Lazaridis seems confident that the situation will get sorted out, saying that it "will get resolved if there is a chance for rational discussion."
BlackBerry email, web and messaging to be banned in UAE due to 'security concerns'
Looks like those regulators over in the Middle East don't mess about. Following this week's revelation that the United Arab Emirates' telco overseers weren't happy with being unable to monitor how people were using their BlackBerrys, today we're hearing what their solution to the problem will be: an outright ban. Internet access, email and instant messaging on RIM devices will be blocked in the UAE starting this October -- provided, of course, that the Canadian phone maker doesn't do something in the meantime to appease the authorities. Saudi Arabia is similarly peeved with the BBM service, which it intends to shut down later this month. And just in case you were wondering why all this drama is taking place, the BBC cites a Saudi Telecom board member as admitting it's designed to pressure RIM into releasing users' communication data "when needed." Charming.
India's desire to snoop on BlackBerry users continues unabated, UAE wants in on the act
Governments have traditionally had a "love-hate" relationship with technology: they love using it to keep tabs on you and your cronies, but they hate the idea that you could be using it to protect your privacy. One clear example of this is the whole back'n'forth that's been playing out between RIM and the nation of India over the last couple years. Remember way back in '08 when the country demanded that the company give it access (one way or another) to encrypted BlackBerry Messenger traffic and email? Well, it looks like nothing's been resolved after all: just last week the Indian telecommunications ministry gave RIM until the end of the month to provide said access, otherwise it could ban BBM altogether -- much as it tried to do two years ago. Meanwhile, in the UAE, the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority has issued a statement claiming that "[c]ertain BlackBerry applications allow people to misuse the service, causing serious social, judicial and national security repercussions." We're not certain if things will go quite so far in Abu Dhabi as they seem to be in New Delhi, but the government assured everyone that it will find "a solution that safeguards our consumers and operates within the boundaries of UAE law."
Heavy Rain banned in United Arab Emirates
Heavy Rain has been officially banned in the United Arab Emirates. The news comes courtesy of Kotaku, which confirmed a report on the ban from website Middle East Gamers. In its official response, Sony confirmed that the game had been banned by the country's National Media Council. Sony's statement goes on to make note that the game received an 18+ rating from Europe's PEGI, given that it was crafted as a "a genuinely adult experience" and "deals with strong content including blood and nudity." The statement adds that the game is "not intentionally controversial or sensationalist" and its content is in line with "a mainstream Hollywood thriller." Sony's statement gives no official explanation of the ban, though the aforementioned adult content probably has something to do with it. If the NMC ban of Darksiders earlier this year is any indication, it seems likely that the game fell victim to the usual NMC criteria that the its contents "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions."
Report: Dante's Inferno not heading to the United Arab Emirates
According to bilingual gaming news site GamesLatest, the store shelves of the United Arab Emirates won't be stocked with fresh copies of Dante's Inferno any time soon. Electronic Arts reportedly published a statement explaining the company "decided not to release Dante's Inferno in the Middle East after an evaluation process which is based on consumer tastes, preferences, platform mix and other factors." It might also have something to do with the territory's hesitance to distribute games dealing with religious matter. As GamesLatest points out, both Darksiders and God of War were banned in the territory for their deity-rich plots. Then again, maybe the UAE Media Council just has something against impossibly gravelly voices. Either way, we've contacted EA to get first-hand confirmation of the report. %Gallery-51250%
Report: Darksiders to never see the light in the UAE, kept 'under the table'
With little explanation offered (alright, so, basically no explanation whatsoever), the United Arab Emirate states have reportedly banned the distribution and sale of THQ and Vigil's Darksiders: Wrath of War. According to UAE-based GamesLatest, the game was deemed to "contradict with the UAE's customs and traditions" -- a standard phrase used to near-universally describe banned games in the Middle Eastern states. Unfortunately, that task of enforcing such a ban can be a mighty difficult one. Many retailers in the UAE simply order from wholesalers, bypassing importing laws altogether, and sell their games under the table (and untaxed, might we add). And then, of course, there's always the internet -- we hear you can buy stuff through it. %Gallery-19839% [Via GamePolitics]
UAE on track for HDTV broadcast in 2009
In case you haven't heard, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is on a spending spree fueled by its goal to become the country with the bestest of everything. Naturally, that claim includes broadcast HDTV, right? Well, as we've seen in the U.S., there's more to getting HD off the ground than the infrastructure. Lots of channels with little content does not a happy HD populace make, and those are exactly the growing pains that UAE is experiencing. The country has spent some $5-billion on HD infrastructure that has been ready to roll for some 2.5-years, but it's been a, um, desert in terms of content. The market rollout with respect to HD-media is reversed from the situation we had in the U.S. -- the UAE is seeing HDM spark HD broadcast -- but it's still all about content. Our advice is to rely on early adopters until content reaches critical mass, and then the market will catch on. And trust us -- it's worth the wait.
Dubai Women's College
Dubai Women's College is, as far as we can tell, the first educational institution in the Middle East to open a campus in Second Life (are we wrong? There's a lot of educational institutions with setups and sites on the grid). The island, Dubai Women's College, isn't, as yet, a whole lot to write home about -- a mosque, some signs, some classroom-platforms, out in the middle of community-college-ocean. There's a college map, and a museum-under-construction. Oh, and a sign out front that proclaims: 'The extent of a teacher's imagination is the only limit to what or how teaching can take place in this learning environment.' Well, that and a functional grid gets you a virtual-world-enabled education.
