Pakistan's Internet censorship

[sparklingway]

^^^^ Is it officially declared that these sights are banned like you tube and wiki and flickr..who knows may be it might be a technical fault..apart from the facebook.

Youtube is officially down. DAWN.COM | Pakistan | Pakistan blocks YouTube over "blasphemous" material

Flickr, Wiki have been down for hours. Wordpress bans are in process. PTA has notified ISPs to take actions before office hours tonight. Maybe tomorrow Internet access would be blocked entirely. I'm sure crackpots would love that.

 

[new wave]

get ready for a closed society....tastes like CHINA

China, a close society ? where you from? do you mean India, a caste-society will be a perfect term for that, jump out from your "well" please, my dear Mr. Frog.

 

[FlyingSpagetti]

Don't take me wrong, but pakistan is not on any path of development or secularism or peace, leave alone becoming any world leader, why ban open source and social media? It reminds me of Taliban in Afghanistan.

How can your god or prophet get insulted, just because someone says something? Turkey and other developing and progressive islamic societies dont do this type of BS!

Where is pakistan aheading? Sad the clerics of Pakisran must be joyous as they control the intelligencia completely, now hen some jihadi is caught, I hope pakistan will have no case for saying its not us, as islamist Indoctrination is in Full Swing!

This is a sad news for as you have restricted free speach and devoured pakistanis from understanding how the world percieves islam, pakistan etc and how they can rectify it.

Its a Shame!

Someone (from Pakistan on wikipedia baning thread) said here welcome to Stone Age!

P.S: I have posted it again, as these are my honest thoughts, as I would have typed it again, I hope they are respected, to avoid typing again which is pain I hv copy pasted!

 

[tinguzzz]

@MOD PLEASE MERGE YOUTUBE BAN,FLICKER BAN,WIKIPEDIA BAN,FACEBOOK BAN....

 

[T-Faz]

I'm getting reports and twitter is buzzing with reports that access to WordPress is being banned now as well. So the PTA will block everything now. Blackbeery services down. Facebook down. Flick down. Wiki down. Youtube down.

Welcome to the edited internet of a society of a Fascist people who want to control how others choose to live. This is just a personification of the mentality that is common in Pakistan where people want to puppeteer others. Utter denial of civil liberties.

Well get off your high horse and think rationally for a second, banning a website or two and that only for a little while is not exactly turning Pakistan into a fascist state.

Perhaps it is to show that these websites which are very prominent carry a moral responsibility in not offending others. They have in the past taken off pages which were a lot less offensive than this. Perhaps banning them is the only tactic employable to get what some people want.

I do not agree with banning any website but I also believe that these websites should not be used as grounds for offensive material and that too which attracts all the bigots of the world.

 

[Comet]

Are you guys planning to go back to stone age?

Yes !!! You planning to join us?

The ban on certain websites will not take us back to Stone Age. Besides, these sites are pure entertainment sites and not business oriented websites.

 

[sparklingway]

China, a close society ? where you from? do you mean India, a caste-society will be a perfect term for that, jump out from your "well" please, my dear Mr. Frog.

I understand the Golden Shield Project is not necessarily a welcome initiative nor are forces attempts to filter certain search terms on search engines.

It's not just "western" views on this issue. Filtering/Blocking anything is not the state's duty. Citizens are able to screen material for themselves.

 

[Tiger Awan]

looks like it.

This is a stupid move by Pak govt. They are isolating their own country from the rest of the world. Are they trying to create another North Korea?

Hey Pak govt is PAKISTAN's govt. Do not use words like stupid for it.

 

[Nav]

Wikipedia isnt blocked, maybe it was a glitch. I couldnt access it myself a few minutes ago.

FB and YouTube have been banned. Its official.

Pakistan blocks YouTube over blasphemous material

its all bull **** i can still open it through my mobile web, huh

 

[sparklingway]

Well get off your high horse and think rationally for a second, banning a website or two and that only for a little while is not exactly turning Pakistan into a fascist state.

Perhaps it is to show that these websites which are very prominent carry a moral responsibility in not offending others. They have in the past taken off pages which were a lot less offensive than this. Perhaps banning them is the only tactic employable to get what some people want.

I do not agree with banning any website but I also believe that these websites should not be used as grounds for offensive material and that too which attracts all the bigots of the world.

I understand what you are trying to say and you and I'm okay with you believing that but I cannot disagree more. A court or an institute or the state should not have the right to make a decision regarding what people can access online. Nothing can justify the denial of access to information online or offline, however short the duration be. As Jehanara put on her blog yesterday "I don’t need the government to make such decisions for me. I am quite capable of doing that for myself. If I want to protest against something I find offensive, I will (and I do). The PTA and the courts have no right to deprive me of my freedom to do so."

 

[Mirza Jatt]

How exactly will it isolate us when all the same is available on all other websites for us to view and use.

Its not like the whole internet is down, its selected websites that should carry a moral responsibility in not offending some groups.

This is actually good in a sense that people would rather concentrate on more important things and not waste their time on these websites which perhaps are the most used.

Also, this is temporary, ban will be lifted very soon.

agreed on all points and good for you..

but how is it negative if someone puts forward his view/doubt of saying that it might hamper the path of knowledge if these sites are banned...that was point to your friend.Morover its your own ountrymen who started this idea of saying they are going to stone age and stuff..wasnt those comments negative??

 

[ice_man]

ok so i am a bit confused by everyones response here. we discuss blasphemy people relate it to fascism!

we talk of blasphemy people here call it oppression of human rights just like in china!

i say blasphemy people say ****!(even though pron should be blocked completely all over pakistan starting from closure of rainbow center)!!!!

So basically the government should sit back & let people ridicule religion all in the name of "FREEDOM"???

please tell me who decides where the lines of "freedom" are drawn?? & who draws them?

 

[jagjitnatt]

How exactly will it isolate us when all the same is available on all other websites for us to view and use.

Its not like the whole internet is down, its selected websites that should carry a moral responsibility in not offending some groups.

The problem is not with banning a website. Its the mentality. Some stupid thing on a web site, ban the complete website, ban the sister websites too. Banning is not the answer.
The govt is trying to control what people can access and watch on the internet. Thats not freedom.

Isn't this not the Taliban way of governance? On a smaller scale today, but who knows the future. These steps needs to be reverted

This is actually good in a sense that people would rather concentrate on more important things and not waste their time on these websites which perhaps are the most used.

Also, this is temporary, ban will be lifted very soon.

There is always a silver lining, the question is at what cost. Small steps like these are what creates big problems in future.

As for the ban being temporary, I hope its true. Although there is no such info as of yet.

 

[Comet]

Nothing should be "banned". It's not the state's responsibility to edit what you see.

With highly illiterate people having access to Pornographic content, I believe it is state's right rather responsibility to ban such content.

 

[harish]

The fact that Pakistan is the only muslim country up until now to take these steps once again begs the question, why does Pakistan need so strongly to be the self-appointed flagbearer for the rest of the muslim world? What is this overpowering desire to be seen as the champion of the muslim world even if you land up hurting yourselves in the process? If the rest followed your lead, it would make sense, and actually have a chance of making a difference. But its obvious nobody else is, and you are once again drawing negative attention to yourselves globally. Is it not time to reassess what is really important for Pakistan as a nation instead of wearing the proverbial sar pe kafan and heading out to war every time something happens somewhere that you perceive as injustice to your religion. Is it not time to take a backward step and let someone else take up cudgels for a change? While you concentrate on getting your own house in order. These are questions which beg answers when we see other muslim nations following more peaceful and participatory approaches towards the global mainstream progressing rapidly and leaving you behind.