YouTube Blocked In Pakistan

22.02.08

Filed Under: Pakistan

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Update: The offending video has since been removed and Youtube has now been unblocked. Good work all around.

Youtube.com is inaccessible from several ISPs here in Pakistan and there are reports that all ISPs have been directed by the Pakistani government to block www.youtube.com for containing blasphemous web content.

This ban has reportedly been placed because of this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3s8jtvvg00 - and no matter what you want to say about censorship and the freedom of speech, this video is downright abusive and hateful. I managed to load the video through Anonymizer, but stopped after the first few seconds - not out of any respect for Islam, but because the video goes far beyond what you would consider satire and is essentially hate speech.

An extract from an email posted at Awab Alvi’s blog:

Dear Valued Customer:

Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (www.pta.gov.pk) has directed all ISPs of the country to block access to www.youtube.com web site for containing blasphemous web content/movies.

The site would remain blocked till further orders from PTA. Meanwhile, Internet users can write to youtube.com to remove the objectionable web content/movies because this removal would enable the authorities to order un-blocking of this web site.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience.

Best Regards

Manager
Technical Assistance Center
Micronet Broadband Pvt. Ltd.
Islamabad

After confirming from friends across the country, it seems as if several ISPs - WorldCall, Micronet and Multinet have blocked Youtube, while people can still access the site through mobile providers (Wateen, Telenor, Mobilink).

This hasn’t been the first time Youtube has been blocked in a country, nor is it the first time that government authorities in Pakistan have blocked websites (The blogspot affair comes to mind) for showing blasphemous content.

I’m hoping, personally, that Google remove this video from YouTube - it’s in bad taste and is essentially the same sort of extremist behavior that people from both sides are trying to fight against.

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7 Responses to “YouTube Blocked In Pakistan”

  1. Rameez Kakakhel

    Why don’t these people just sit aside calmly and Blame Islam.. Share abusive content. Calling someone “Bad Names” is a bad thing, but talking abusively against Islam, is Freedom Of Speech???

    February 24th, 2008 at 2:10
  2. Rameez Kakakhel

    Oopss! It was “Sit Aside Calmly and DON”T BLAME Islam and share abusive content”

    February 24th, 2008 at 2:15
  3. Franklyn

    the video has since been removed…

    February 24th, 2008 at 3:55
  4. Pakistan Blog

    The above mentioned video in the post has been removed “due to terms of use violation.”

    You can also confirm this via: http://www.sticklive.com or http://www.youhide.com

    Thank you Google & YouTube team!

    February 24th, 2008 at 17:01
  5. Piker

    Okay, I haven’t seen the video, nor do I have any idea on it’s contents. But why block Youtube for that. I am sure there are tons of other hateful videos, so where do you draw the line? I am not singling out Pakistan here, because the same has happened in India too. if something is hateful, the provider — here Google — would have to be approached and be told to remove said hateful video, and it is again upto Google to review it’s policies and take appropriate action, if need be; which in this case, it has done.

    Why a government must block an entire domain, though, is beyond me.

    February 27th, 2008 at 3:14
  6. Ahmed Bilal

    Not just block, but hijack it as well…

    February 29th, 2008 at 8:54
  7. Hira

    Okay, the video has been removed now, didn’t get to see it. I agree with Piker, there are hundreds of such videos and other pure repulsive content around, why block YouTube for a single video? Block everything when you feel like it. Insanity.

    March 19th, 2008 at 14:24

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