![]() ![]() Most of these transliteration search engines are in decline as most devices and platforms have much better Arabic support than they did half a decade ago.īelow are the three most popular transliteration search engines in the region.Īlso, if you’d like to use an Arabic version of Google that isn’t specific to a country or region you can use the following link:Īdditionally, there have been several failed attempts at Arabic search engines that include names such as, Eb7ath, and Marweb. Arab searchers type a query into the engine in Latin letters, which are then transliterated into Arabic. There are three transliteration search engines for Arabic speakers that were all launched about 5 or 6 years ago when the Arabic language support on many devices was poor. Many Arabs have clung to old Hotmail accounts despite the availability of superior email services like Gmail. Though Bing isn’t popular as a search engine, Hotmail, which is owned by Microsoft, has been and remains very popular in the region. Microsoft has had a strong reputation in the region across a variety of industries for a long time. As with other regions in the world they have a relatively large Ad network in the Middle East. In 2009 Yahoo acquired Maktoob, which is a popular web portal in the region that offers services ranging from search, to email, to auctions, and more. Yahoo has had a strong market presence in the region for quite some time. ![]() ![]() Tunisia – United Arab Emirates – Yemen – N/Aĭespite Google’s clear domination in the region there are some important notes to make about other search engines. Kuwait – Lebanon – Libya – Morocco – Oman – Palestine – Qatar – Saudi Arabia – Syria – N/A Here is a list of Google search engines by Arabic Speaking country.Īlgeria – Bahrain – Egypt – Iraq – IstiZada created a complete guide to Google Arabic here. In Egypt, Google has even more of a market share at 97%. For example in Saudi Arabia Google has about 97% of the search market whereas Bing and Yahoo makeup about 4% of the market. Who are the top search players in the Middle East?Īs mentioned previously Google maintains the lion’s share of the market. Despite this there are some important observations to make about Middle East Search Engines that we will go into more detail about here. Unlike many other regions in the world the Middle East does not have an alternative to Google that dominates the region. This is no different when targeting countries in the Middle East. It’s hard to see how facilitating the oppression of women fits in with Google’s old motto of ‘Don’t be evil.When seeking to target any region of the world online it is a good idea to have an understanding of which regional search engines you need to target. While Apple’s decision is as yet unknown, this move by Google seems to go against their usual rhetoric about their purported values and the role they want to play in society. These ‘guardians’ can even set details permissions to allow single journeys, multiple journeys or none at all. Men who register their wives and children as ‘dependents’ within the Absher app can receive text message alerts when such dependents attempt to use a passport or ID card to travel. Under Saudi Arabia’s Sharia laws, women aren’t allowed out in public without a male guardian present, and the app works as an extension of this. Google said that the app “does not violate any agreements and can therefore remain on the Google Play store.” Jackie Speier that they will not be removing the app from their Play Store, while Apple have yet to answer beyond stating that they are ‘investigating’. Credit: Getty Images / Business InsiderĪccording to Business Insider, Google has now confirmed to Rep. The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman pictured above with Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin. On February 21, 14 representatives from Congress wrote to both Google and Apple demanding removal of the app, alleging that “women fleeing persecution in Saudi Arabia had to defeat this application to leave the country and seek asylum.” The letter gave a deadline of February 28 to respond. But one feature has led to an outcry from human rights campaigners – the ability for men to track and either permit or deny travelling plans made by women. The app has many features such as paying parking fines, registering a birth, or renewing a driving license. Following calls to remove the app, Google has refused.Ībsher is an app available via Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. In brief: In February, reports emerged of an app available on Google’s Play and Apple’s App stores in Saudi Arabia that, among other things, allows male guardians to track women’s whereabouts and set detailed permissions for travelling.
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