Internet in Bahrain

[5] This later rose to 96.4% (an estimated 1.29 million online) in 2015, thus making Bahrain the country with the highest internet penetration percentage in the Middle East.

The goal of the award is to select quality online content and to promote creativity and innovation in the development of new media applications in Bahrain.

The authorities have blocked a number of news, religion, human rights, and humour Web sites run by Bahrainis and by non-Bahrainis, but users manage to access them using proxies.

48 of 2002 Promulgating the Telecommunications Law,”[26] Results from first 2008-2009 test runs found limited blocking of pornographic and LGBT content and proxy and anonymizing services.

He had been arrested for “inciting hatred,” “disseminating false news,” “promoting sectarianism,” and “calling for the regime’s overthrow in online forums.”[28] A number of persons have been arrested for posting online messages:[28] Social media has played a role in fueling the unrest in Bahrain with "highly inflammatory" information, according to a report by the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI).

"The commission found numerous examples of exaggeration and misinformation, some highly inflammatory, that were disseminated through social media," the report stated.

The commission recommended the Bahrain government to relax censorship and allow the opposition greater access to television and radio broadcasts as well as print media.

Errors The BICI team also met officials from Information Affairs Authority (IAA), who provided a file concerning the involvement of the international media in the events of February and March.