For what!? Snapchat blocks Al Jazeera in Saudi Arabia

Some content is prohibited to circulate in an application because usually the content contains elements that are considered harmful by the owner or developer of the application. This time comes from the Snapchat app, which prohibits the circulation of Al-Jazeera content inside its app. What is and why?

From CNET - Snapchat blocked news network Al Jazeera from posting to Snapchat in Saudi Arabia at the request of the Saudi government, as the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, September 17 2017.

Snap pulled the Qatari-run news outlet's Discover Publisher Channel from its app as it violated the country's law of printed material and publication and anti-cyber crime law. "We make an effort to comply with local laws in the countries where we operate," said a Snap spokeswoman in a statement.

Regional censorship of content has affected almost every global social network and internet company, including Google and Facebook, due to local laws that they may be subject to. Media watchdog Freedom House consistently rates Saudi Arabia as "not free" in its annual Freedom on the Net investigation.

"Popular social media and communication apps are not blocked in the country, although authorities have imposed restrictions on their use," it said in its 2016 report.

Qatar is currently in an ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Eqypt, Bahrain and the UAE, which have accused the country of supporting terrorism. The Al Jazeera ban only affects Saudi Arabia and the publisher's Snapchat Story continues to be live in the other countries.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Source: CNET