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Ammon News - Jordan Times - Jordan enjoyed partly free Internet access this year, according to an international report, which also said restrictions on web content in the Kingdom has increased in 2013 compared to 2012.

The Freedom on the Net 2013 report, issued by Freedom House, showed that freedom on the Internet in Jordan rose to 46 per cent in 2013 compared to 45 per cent in 2012.

The higher the percentage, the better freedom is on a scale of 100 per cent.

The report, posted recently on Freedom House website, said the Press and Publications Law, which went effective earlier this year, was a major setback for Internet freedom in Jordan, as it increased restrictions on web content.

“I agree to a large extent with the report that freedom on the net is partial in the Kingdom, especially this year, because many websites and blogs were shut down after the law went into effect,” Abed Shamlawi, CEO of the ICT Association of Jordan (int@j), told The Jordan Times on Saturday.

“This law forces many IT companies specialised in creating entertainment content and videos to think of leaving Jordan or reconsider their business as the law imposed restrictions on web content,” Shamlawi said.

The law requires websites that publish news, articles and comments related to Jordan’s local or international affairs to register with the Press and Publications Department (PPD) and receive licences.

It considers any comment published on a website to be “press material” and holds online publishers responsible for these comments. It also prohibits websites from publishing comments not relevant to the article under which they are published.

Around 200 websites were blocked in June this year for failing to register at the PPD.

Int@j, which represents more than 400 ICT companies, warned that the law will eventually harm the ICT sector, which contributes about 14 per cent annually to the country’s gross domestic product.

“The law caused panic among ICT companies because the majority of them have websites and interact with the audience through comments, especially companies that develop video content that is satirical and sometimes critical of government policies,” an employee at a content developing company said.

Government officials maintain that the law specifically targets news websites and not blogs; however, some local blogging websites have been blocked for failing to obtain a licence.

“The law is vague, as it does not clearly differentiate between political news sites and entertainment websites that develop cynical videos for example, and this will eventually affect freedom of the Internet in Jordan,” said the employee, who preferred not to be named.

“There is a need to revisit the law and make it clearer, so there are no restrictions whatsoever on Internet freedoms,” Shamlawi said.

On a positive note, Jordan witnessed several notable online campaigns over the past year, indicating users’ growing interest in utilising online tools for activism, the Freedom House report said.

YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and international blog-hosting services are freely available and very popular in the country, it added.

Jordan also does not have a history of extensive web filtering, the report indicated.