Electronics & Computers Deals here!Pakistan welcomes back YouTube
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Pakistan's telecoms regulator lifted restrictions on YouTube after a video criticizing Islam was taken down.
The video clip in question features a Dutch lawmaker who claims Islam is fascist and prone to inciting violence, according to the AP. On Friday, Pakistan lawmakers, who consider the clip "blasphemous," ordered access to YouTube shut down.
Efforts by Pakistan's state-controlled Internet service provider to block YouTube inside that country triggered a two-hour blackout of the site Sunday across the globe.
After receiving a censorship order from the telecommunications ministry directing that YouTube.com be blocked, Pakistan Telecom--by accident or design--broadcast instructions worldwide claiming to be the legitimate destination for anyone trying to reach YouTube's range of Internet addresses.
Instead of being directed to YouTube, everyone trying to log on to the site was sent to a virtual black hole.
Reversing bans isn't new to YouTube. The Google-owned company has a fairly good record of convincing governments to lift these sorts of bans. Brazil blocked YouTube last year after a video clip was posted of Daniela Cicarelli, a famous model, having sex with her boyfriend. A Brazilian judge reversed the ban soon after.
Thailand, Morocco, and Turkey are three other countries that have blocked YouTube only to reverse themselves later.
Greg Sandoval covers media and digital entertainment for CNET News. He is a former reporter for The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. E-mail Greg.
Sure, this was most likely a mistake that Pakistan broke Youtube and blacked it out.
But what if one day Pakistan or another country wanted to hit U.S e-commerce or government infrastructure on purpose? It seems like countries have too much technical control over the internet already.
And these telecoms and whatever where this control lies hasn't got good security, then the script kids and hackers can walk into these places and start mucking around with the internet settings.
Also, if Pakistan in the future want to score political points against the west, they know whats possible now.
I'm sure the Pakistan government leaders didn't even know they have this much technical control over Youtube.
Now the Pakistan government know though they can blackmail Youtube and the American government and take Youtube down if they ain't happy about something in the future.
In the other article it said this is giving script kiddies ideas, but i'm sure its giving the government's of the world who don't like the west ideas as well.
Its much more likely a government has been given idea's than some random script kiddie or hacker sitting in his house.
Bad, bad, bad...
Unfortunately, companies do these things because Greed is the bottom line. Unless governments, by, for, and of the people are in control of these businesses, we will see more and more of this.
I have grave doubts about the future, and 1984 may be closer than we think.