Saudi Arabia to set ‘guidelines’ for video creators on YouTube

Saudi Arabia has plans to establish guidelines for creators. This means, among other things, that there will be rules regarding alcohol use, tobacco and sexual acts. The action would mainly be aimed at limiting the possibilities of video creators on YouTube.

That says The Wall Street Journal based on an interview with the Saudi commission for audiovisual media. According to director Riyadh Najm, the guidelines are intended to make clear what is and is not acceptable in videos that are put on YouTube. This includes matters such as alcohol, tobacco and sexual acts. The new rules will also apply to other video sites.

With the rules, Saudi Arabia probably wants to do something against the content of YouTube videos that are put online by residents. Google’s video site is very popular among the younger segment of the population. The Wall Street Journal reports that YouTube videos are viewed three times more per person in Saudi Arabia than in the United States. The popularity probably has to do with the strict censorship that prevails on the Arab country’s own media channels: video makers have a relatively large amount of freedom on YouTube.

It is not the first time Saudi Arabia has attempted to control Western online communications services. Earlier, the Arab country threatened with a ban on Skype and Whatsapp if those services did not build in the possibility to let the government listen in on conversations.