Jordanian media law threatens web freedoms

Chairman of Jordan’s Open Source Association, Issa al-Mahassna, has warned against impingements to the country’s rights to freedom of expression and thought, during an information sector summit.Al-Mahassna said that the latest modifications to Jordan’s Press and Publications Law, already approved by the former House of Representatives, have had a “negative impact” on freedoms in the country. According to al-Mahassna, 30 companies specialising in information technology moved their headquarters outside of Jordan last year in response to the controversial legislation. "The amendments to the law have permitted the government intervention in the Internet in general, while the law authorised it to block any unlicensed website, whether it provide news or not,” the Open Source Association said in a press statement. “The existence of such legislation will affect the sector and reduce the chances of investment,” al-Mahassna claimed.