The United States criticized Saudi Arabia on Friday for internet restrictions that blocked access to religious websites considered incompatible with Islamic law.
Saudi Arabia was one of numerous countries faulted in the State Department's annual report on human rights that emphasized the growing role of communications technology as a tool for promoting human rights.
The report also highlighted restrictions on the internet in China, Sudan and Vietnam, among other countries.
US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said as many as 40 governments around the world block citizens from freely browsing the internet.
Bloggers have been subject to arrest and in some cases torture has been used to force individuals to provide passwords and other information about their internet activities, she said.
The report accused Saudi Arabia's official Communications and Information Technology Commission of improperly monitoring email and internet chatrooms and of blocking internet sites devoted to information about Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and forms of Islam that do not comply with Sharia law.
The State Department blasted China for restricting internet access and content and for detaining individuals who express views online that were critical of the government.
Sudan was accused of monitoring internet communications. The report accused Vietnam of using the internet to spy on dissidents and seizing computers and cell phones.
The internet has increasingly become a major instrument for advancing human rights, as social networking sites were seen as playing a key role in the democratic movements in the Middle East, particularly in Egypt and Tunisia.
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