DUBAI // A group of computer-hacking activists have published a list of sites they claim are censored by UAE internet providers.
Anonymous, the group of "hacktivists" who have targeted anti-software piracy organisations and critics of WikiLeaks, has published a list of 24,000 URLs and keywords blocked in the country.
The group has wreaked havoc on the networks and websites of credit-card companies, banks and multinational companies.
"UAE's internet is fully run and monitored by government-run ISPs," the group said. "We managed to get into the Netfilter server and are leaking this data we extracted from their [database]."
Most sites were related to adult content or insulting to Islam. Others provide internet telephony, allowing users to make cheap or free international calls.
The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority would not say whether the list was real or a hoax.
The group accused the country's telecoms carriers of unfairly penalising low-income workers in the Emirates.
The TRA regulates which sites should be blocked and provides a list to the country's two operators, Etisalat and du.
"This news does not relate to du and as such we are not in a position to comment on it," a spokesman for the company said. Etisalat officials did not comment.
A computer forensics investigator in Dubai, who declined to be named because he feared reprisals from Anonymous, said the group was not just a group of harmless teenagers.
"They are to be taken seriously, because they have such a large following," he said. "You have a lot of nerds behind them but you have some exceptionally talented people as well."
He said although the group had access to a list of blocked URLs, it did not necessarily mean the UAE's central proxy had been compromised.
Many companies that operate their own corporate proxy servers regularly send lists of inappropriate sites to Etisalat or du.
"This doesn't necessarily mean that anything has been compromised," the investigator said. "Just because they have been able to identify which websites are blocked, this isn't any amazing achievement."
Anonymous has hit other countries, such as Iran, which have a system of filtering internet sites.
The organisation claims to have about 10,000 members worldwide, and there is no clear hierarchy or leadership.
Because there is no central institution, there has been much confusion over the group's strategy and intent.
"Since anyone can claim to be Anonymous, many false flag and imposter attacks hide in the fog of this brand," said the US security analyst Josh Corman, who has written a series of articles entitled Building a Better Anonymous.
In June, Anonymous went for Indian online censorship, attacking the website of the state-owned Mahanagar Telephone Nigam in a "distributed denial of service" attack and spawning protest against the censorship.
And in January, reciprocal cyberattacks between Israeli and Arab hackers escalated, as an Israeli group released the details of 4,800 Arab credit-card holders and tried to launch attacks on the websites of the UAE Central Bank and the Arab Bank Palestine.
The leak of blocked websites in the UAE has been dubbed "Operation GodFather", but it is not clear whether the hackers intend any further attacks.
A source who maintains one of several Anonymous Facebook groups said there may be more UAE activities in future.
"I would imagine so, but there is never really a set plan," the source said.
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Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
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Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
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One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
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Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
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Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
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Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
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Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
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Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
Roger Federer's record at Wimbledon
1999 - 1st round
2000 - 1st round
2001 - Quarter-finalist
2002 - 1st round
2003 - Winner
2004 - Winner
2005 - Winner
2006 - Winner
2007 - Winner
2008 - Finalist
2009 - Winner
2010 - Quarter-finalist
2011 - Quarter-finalist
2012 - Winner
2013 - 2nd round
2014 - Finalist
2015 - Finalist
2016 - Semi-finalist
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- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
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- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
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