SAUDI ARABIA'S Ministry of Information, as most of us must be knowing by now, has released a new law governing online publishing. An excellent summary of what the law is all about and who it covers and who it does not and what its ramifications are can be found here.

As far as what I've read, the regulations do not require individual blogs or forums to register. It is only optional for them. Websites, blogs, and forums that operate as online newspapers and provide such services through different social media are required to register.

This eliminates the majority of blogosphere. Furthermore, websites that want to generate money by running ads must also register. I don't think they are talking about Google ads that individual bloggers choose to run. I suspect the ministry is talking about local ads -- where companies within the kingdom advertise and pay a website's owner. Online advertising is a growing market. So perhaps the ministry wants a company dealing with such financial transactions registered.

What worries me is the way the regulations will be implemented or the bureaucratic requirements that may come with it. Saudi Life is definitely more than a personal blog. It has several services in offer for the expats. Yet, it also cannot be called a news website because we only have news aggregation. And we definitely want to get into advertising. So, yes, we may be required to get registered. We don't worry so much about what kind of ethics they would want us to follow. Islam teaches us that it is mandatory to obey the authorities as long as it does not entail disobedience to God. We already strive to adhere to Islamic principles and have set high standards to ensure quality publishing. And the Minister of Information has said, according to an Arab News report, the rules do not include any clauses restricting freedom of speech. 

What I do worry about however is that some requirements to register would be such that it would be impossible for most people to fulfill. Such things have happened even in recent times. For instance, expat Qur'an teachers who pass the qualification test will only be allowed to practice the profession if their Iqamas were transfered under the profession of a Qur'an teacher. This profession however doesn't exist with the Labor Office.

So what I would like to suggest to the Ministry of Information is KISS: Keep It Super Simple. A simple online registration that would open the door for almost everyone in the kingdom to run an online publishing business, as long as they were expected to adhere to some rules and regulations. Why have rules like approved editors-in-chiefs and vague clauses? As long as a website is professional and does not break laws, it should be encouraged. Give some benefits and facilitate things. Make them easy and not difficult. Give the existing websites permits before they ask for it. 

It would be a disaster if, for example, the ministry says only Saudis can run website businesses or that a sponsor's approval is required for an expat and so on. Such silly regulations will only hamper innovation. We do not know who will come up with the next best thing in the Internet. It could be someone in Saudi Arabia, and it could be a young boy or girl who may or may not be a Saudi.

Let's get rid of problematic procedures and rules like the sponsorship system at least in the online world. Let's do something super simple.