Article 24 of the Saudi Communications and Information Technology Law

This article regulates what is commonly known as website blocking, in two paragraphs:

1- Filtering power: The Authority, in coordination with the competent bodies, does the following at transit gateways:

• filters the internet;
• limits certain content on the internet; and
• prevents connection to specific internet services or restricts access to them.

2- Prohibition on bypassing: Three acts are prohibited:

• bypassing internet filtering;
• facilitating its circumvention; and
• providing the means that help do so.

The Authority sets the controls and requirements regulating this. The prohibition covers the person who bypasses blocking themselves, the person who facilitates it for others, and the person who provides its tools.

The article does not name particular tools or programs, and does not specify the content that is blocked; those details are found in the controls and requirements the Authority sets. Nor does it state a penalty itself.

This article sits alongside Article 23, which protects the confidentiality of user data, and Article 25, which gives the Authority's inspectors the power to investigate and record violations of the law. Anyone who needs to know their legal position on a matter involving blocking should consult a lawyer specializing in cybercrime or in communications and information technology law.