The importance of protecting your online privacy and freedom

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Online Privacy and freedom is a topic which has increasingly struck a chord with people around the world in recent years. There is a growing awareness of what it is, why it is important, and why it matters. 

Most people would agree that this stems from Edward Snowden releasing a series of files back in 2013 which showed the world the extent of the snooping that US citizens were subjected to by the NSA – a body which is supposedly there to protect them and their rights.

They were watching and gathering data en-masse about every single person in the USA, regardless of whether they were suspected of an offense, had been convicted of any offenses, or not. 

Unsurprisingly this led to an uproar and widespread protests in the USA. But it also had a knock-on effect right around the world. And this is as true of the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates as it is anywhere else.

Online Privacy and Freedom in the UAE:

When it comes to the issue of online privacy and freedom, the UAE Government does not have a blemish-free reputation. They use online filtering to censor a significant amount of online content. 

All pornography is blocking within the UAE, as is anything which is interpreted as potentially ‘corrupting moral values’ of citizens. A lot of politically sensitive content is also blocked, as well as all Israeli sites, and every VoIP service you might care to mention too.  

And there’s more. Dating sites are blocked, as are some social media sites, as well as sections of the popular online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. 

Put together this adds up to a pretty sizable amount of online censorship. And the blocks are also policed fairly robustly as well.  The UAE government has a significant online surveillance program and punishments are meted out for accessing or publishing content which contravenes these bans.

Why Online Privacy and Freedom Matters:

Online freedoms and privacy should be a universal norm. So says the UN Human Rights Council which recently declared that all basic human rights should apply in the virtual world as well. 

What they intend is for this declaration to mean that the right to freedom of expression, a free media, and access to information should be made available to everyone online.

Of course, in reality, the UN’s stance hasn’t changed the situation in the UAE, or indeed any other country in the world where online freedoms are curtailed. And why would it? The UN has long since lost any credibility on the world stage. 

But their findings do highlight the growing sense that a free internet is desirable, and something that more and more people across the globe are willing to stand up for. 
And then on a somewhat lighter note, there is the issue of entertainment. This is also largely controlled by the Government in the UAE, and many international TV shows, movies, and other content is routinely unavailable. 

But these days more and more locals and expats living in cities like Sharjah want to be able to access the latest TV shows and movies coming out of the USA, the UK, and beyond. 

With the explosion in online streaming and download services, this is eminently possible. But there are just two tiny stumbling blocks. Many of these are blocked in the UAE too. And even if they weren’t, most use geo-restriction technologies to limit usage to those living within their target countries.

How a VPN can help with Online Privacy and Freedom:

Fortunately, there is a solution which can help internet users in the UAE enjoy the same levels of online privacy and freedom as those in other parts of the world. It is called a VPN or Virtual Private Network, and it is both a cost-effective and secure method too.

A Virtual Private Network works by rerouting all of your online traffic via an encrypted pathway to an external server before it heads to the sites or services you want to use.

This encryption ensures that all your internet activity cannot be seen by either government surveillance operatives or cyber criminals, who might want to see what you are doing online. This boosts both your online security and your online privacy.
But there’s more. A VPN also hides your IP Address. This helps to ensure that you anonymous when using any online services. There is no way to trace the connection back to your own IP Address. A responsible VPN will also keep absolutely no logs of what you are doing online either, meaning it should always remain private.

So that’s the issue of online privacy tackled, but what about online freedom?

Well, by using a VPN connected to a server located outside the UAE, the sites you visit will be fooled into thinking you are located where the server is instead of in Sharjah. This means you can circumvent online censorship and see whatever sites are legal in the country where your server is. And importantly, it also means that sites which are geo-restricted will also become available to you. 

Many popular services like US Netflix, Spotify, and Omegle will routinely use geo-restrictions to stop people accessing their sites from outside the USA. Trying to log into any of these from within the UAE will not work. 

But by using a VPN connected to a US server, it is possible to not only access these services but use them freely and as you wish. Whether you want to chat, watch movies, or listen to music, it is all possible from the comfort of your Sharjah home with a VPN.

They are increasingly a must-have tool for people living in the UAE who value their online privacy and freedoms. And this is a rapidly growing proportion of the population. 

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