Clubhouse Blocked In Oman: Outspoken Youth Question Country's Freedoms

Weeks after being the top downloaded social media app in different parts of the world, the Clubhouse application has been reportedly blocked in Oman after users noticed that they cannot access it anymore.

Despite its growing popularity amongst Arab youth in the last few weeks, Omani users have reported that the audio-sharing application can no longer be accessed from their country; saying that authorities may have banned it across telecommunication networks.

Launching the hashtag #عمان_تحظر_كلوب_هاوس (Oman blocks Clubhouse), users questioned the reason behind the recent ban, saying that government officials may have resorted to this decision as a means to stop communication between well-spoken young people who have been using the platform for serious and thorough discussions.

Translation: "The Clubhouse app has proved that young Omanis are intellectually-developed and well-educated on modern matters, which is why I can understand the decision to block it. The civilized discussions that have been started without legal violations despite disagreements show us a great sense of social awareness."

Social media users argued that "decision-makers may have felt threatened by the new generation of well-educated and aware Omanis," which may have prompted the decision to ban the app.

According to some Twitter users, the Clubhouse ban can not be easily justified as no similar decision has been made towards other popular applications, some of which "can be harmful such as Tiktok."

However, many young commentators explained that they can still access Clubhouse using VPNs, challenging the government's decision to ban the application.