Pakistan lifts ban on Youtube after launch of own version [subject to government censorship]
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-pakistan-youtube-idUSKCN0UW1ER "On the recommendation of PTA, Government of Pakistan has allowed access to recently launched country version of YouTube for Internet users in Pakistan," the ministry said. "Google has provided an online web process through which requests for blocking access of the offending material can be made by PTA to Google directly and Google/YouTube will accordingly restrict access to the said offending material for users within Pakistan." Blasphemy is a highly sensitive subject in Pakistan, where angry mobs have killed many people accused of insulting Islam. The crime of blasphemy can carry the death penalty, although a death sentence has never been carried out. Pakistan has blocked thousands of web pages it deems undesirable in the last few years as internet access spreads, but activists say the government sometimes blocks sites to muzzle liberal or critical voices. - - - Government-censorship-enabled YouTube. Not the first time, but an extremely notable case and potentially the current example with the broadest implications for creating a slippery slope of ever expanding government censorship demands made of Google by governments around the planet. Google must obey national laws where they choose to operate -- but voluntary participation in such politically-oriented censorship regimes as the price of doing business in such countries -- even with the benefits to users there that limited access to YouTube or other Google services can bring -- still remains highly problematic to say the least. --Lauren-- Lauren Weinstein ([email protected]): http://www.vortex.com/lauren Founder: - Network Neutrality Squad: http://www.nnsquad.org - PRIVACY Forum: http://www.vortex.com/privacy-info Co-Founder: People For Internet Responsibility: http://www.pfir.org/pfir-info Member: ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com Google+: http://google.com/+LaurenWeinstein Twitter: http://twitter.com/laurenweinstein Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800 / Skype: vortex.com I have consulted to Google, but I am not currently doing so -- my opinions expressed here are mine alone. _______________________________________________ pfir mailing list http://lists.pfir.org/mailman/listinfo/pfir
