In the Persian Gulf, at least, capitalism does not equal freedom.

In Kuwait, the government has announced plans to privatize phone and mail services while at the same time increasing censorship. It has begun shutting down all pornographic websites, and on Saturday, three ministries issued a joint ban on photography cameras with large lenses in public places, according to a Kuwaiti media report.

Kuwait's communications minister, Al Busairdi, announced plans to privatize landlines and postal services within the next two years, the UAE-based daily Gulf News reported.

A wider crackdown on illicit Web content seems to be part of the package as well. It will partly be conducted with the help of the provider of Blackberry services, Research in Motion, Al Busairdi said.

"The three telecom operators in Kuwait have also decided to install filters to block pornographic sites," he was quoted as saying by Gulf News. "Kuwait has also reached an agreement with Research in Motion (RIM) to provide information about any phone number, in accordance with the law."