In a punitive measure directly targeting income sources, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have imposed a sweeping ban on digital advertisements across influencer accounts and content platforms, devastating Yemen's emerging digital economy and stripping thousands of families of their primary earnings.
Reports reveal that Yemen Net—the Houthi-controlled internet monopoly—covertly disabled all Google Ad services in late May, abruptly cutting revenue streams for websites, mobile apps, and YouTube channels without warning or justification.
The blackout has triggered outrage across social media, with content creators in Houthi-held territories describing the move as an "economic death sentence" for digital entrepreneurs who built sustainable businesses amid Yemen's humanitarian crisis.
According to digital experts, Yemen Net deliberately blocked Google ad domains, stopping ads from appearing for users in Yemen—except for a very small percentage.
The damage extends beyond content creators to tens of thousands of youth and breadwinners who do not own physical stores and rely entirely on paid ads to promote their products and services online.
Houthi rebels hold a long record of practices restricting communication freedoms by continuously censoring websites and platforms without clear justifications. They have previously banned WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, and Telegram, especially in times of crisis, such as the events of December 2017, which led to the death of former President Abdullah Saleh.
In 2019, Instagram was blocked in Yemen for several days. In late October 2022, Google Meet and Zoom were restricted despite being used by the government and the Yemeni Presidential Council to hold weekly meetings.