Political reform, racism, transgender rights — the audio app Clubhouse has unleashed unbridled debates about topics deemed dangerously sensitive in Saudi Arabia, but surveillance fears have spooked users in the authoritarian state.
Banned by the censors in China, the invitation-only app is
gaining traction in parts of the Gulf, sparking bold conversations in countries
known to curb free speech.
The most provocative appear to be happening in chat rooms
focused on Saudi Arabia, where nationalist trolls and a government crackdown on
online critics have largely stifled debate on other platforms.
Such is the popularity of the app that some users in the
kingdom are offering to sell Clubhouse invitations on Twitter, highlighting a
repressed appetite for debate and discussion despite the fear of surveillance.
"Clubhouse is thriving because there's a plethora of
Saudi intellectuals interested in debating multiple topics that could be
considered taboo or censored in the public realm," Amani al-Ahmadi, a
US-based Saudi-American activist, told AFP.
But after Ahmadi recently hosted a chat on "racism in
Saudi Arabia", Twitter was splashed with screenshots and videos revealing
the identity and opinions of the participants, alongside conspiracy theories
about their motives.
The tactic, which sparked fears that app users were being
monitored, marked a breach of the rules set by Clubhouse, which forbids the
recording of conversations.
A similar Clubhouse room created to discuss the recent
release of jailed activist Loujain al-Hathloul had to be shut down after some
speakers threatened to expose them publicly, according to two sources privy to
the session.
"I see some Saudi trolls taking Clubhouse conversations
to Twitter by recording and hash tagging people," said Ahmadi.
"This is still a new platform and there are many
concerns when it comes to security."
Clubhouse did not respond to AFP's request for comment on
the reported breaches.
'Free thinking'
In a sign that some may already be self-censoring on the
platform, many begin their talks with the proviso "I'm inside" the
kingdom or "I'm in a sensitive place", a Saudi user of the app told AFP.
But despite the risks, many Saudis are participating in
free-wheeling discussions that capture the zeitgeist of a largely young
population.
In one chat room, a Saudi woman bemoaned the lack of civil
liberties in the absolute monarchy.
"Thinking freely carries a great cost, it can cost your
life, can send you to prison," she said, according to participants.
"We are not barn animals... It is our right to think
and our right to protest like any other nation. This is the simplest right of
citizens."
In another, a Saudi lauded new employment opportunities for
women in the kingdom, but said they came at a huge cost.
"We are now walking down the path to equality,"
she said.
"But many Saudi men have become resentful and ask: 'Why
is it that women have more job opportunities than me?'"
And in another, a transgender woman from the kingdom shared
her chilling experiences of being publicly groped and harassed, according to
app users.
'Filling a void'
Such unrestrained conversations have sparked furious calls
for state regulation from government supporters.
"The acrimony that its discussions can generate could
harm society as a whole without any organisational or ethical
constraints," Salman al-Dossary wrote in a Saudi newspaper column titled
"Clubhouse's moral dilemma".
In an online video, Saudi academic Fahad al-Otaibi went as
far as to say that Clubhouse posed a risk to the kingdom's national security.
There was no official comment from Saudi authorities.
Saudi app users say it is only a matter of time before
pro-government trolls assert control over the platform's activities — just like
they did with Twitter.
Pro-regime cyber armies have infiltrated Twitter,
intimidating the kingdom's critics and distorting online narratives while also
harnessing the platform to promote ambitious government reforms.
In recent years, regime critics have been jailed over
tweets, underscoring how social media has become a weapon of authoritarian
rule, campaigners say.
"Clubhouse is filling a massive void right now, and its
popularity in the Gulf shows that people have been waiting for a new avenue to
express their opinions, explore ideas and debate freely and without
censorship," said Ahmed Gatnash, co-founder of the Middle East activist
group Kawaakibi Foundation.
"I do fear that the Saudi government will either crack
down by banning the app, or surveil rooms and arrest people for exercising
their right to free speech, as they did with Twitter in recent years," Gatnash
told AFP.
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