Snapchat forced to block Al Jazeera

Just after recently unblocking voice and video calling apps, Saudi Arabia has now blocked Qatar’s Al Jazeera on Snapchat.

Forcing Snapchat to block Al Jazeera, Saudi Arabia informed the social media firm that the Qatari broadcaster’s Discover Publisher Channel went against the country’s local laws. All of the news articles and videos by the broadcaster were not given access by the country. However Al Jazeera Media Network’s acting Director-General Mostefa Souag condemned the move.

Al Jazeera reported Souag saying, “We find Snapchat's action to be alarming and worrying. This sends a message that regimes and countries can silence any voice or platform they don't agree with by exerting pressure on the owners of social media platforms and content distribution companies. This step is a clear attack on the rights of journalists and media professionals to report and cover stories freely from around the world.”

Snapchat believed that they abide by the rules and laws of the country they operate in. It declared that “Saudi ministry of culture and information found Al Jazeera’s Discover Publisher Story channel to be in violation of local laws”.

Furthermore, Al Jazeera’s head of Incubation and Innovation Research Morad Rayyan regarded Snapchat’s move as “unprecedented”. He said, “Snapchat is a US-based company, publicly traded, and it stands for freedom of expression. We are working on contingency plans to ensure our content is available on other platforms. We are urging them to review the decision that was made. They were the ones who invited us to be one of their news partners for the region.”

According to Tech Juice, Saudi Arabia and Qatar are already in a clash since June when Saudi-led alliance blamed Qatar of supporting terrorist organizations and this move might just raise the conflict.