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Pakistan Press Foundation

Authorities fall back on old YouTube advice

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: While experts are unable to find any way to block unwanted material on social networking website, YouTube, the Ministry of Information and Technology is working on ‘Prevention of Electronic Crimes Bill’ which it considers can pave the way for a localised version of youtube. The bill might take one or two more months to […]


21,000 websites blocked by PTA, so far

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has so far blocked over 21,000 websites containing blasphemous material and while the process is still continuing a report will be sent to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Monday to decide if the YouTube should be reopened. After verifying the strength of the response mechanism placed by the PTA to […]


YouTube ban should continue

Pakistan Press Foundation

Social media website You Tube was banned in Pakistan in September 2012 after a blasphemous video titled “Innocence of Muslims” was uploaded on it which caused mass scale protests/riots leading to loss of life/property across the Muslim world and the operator of the popular webpage Google, refused to remove it. This was not the first […]


Why filtering the internet is a bad idea

Pakistan Press Foundation

The writer is one of the directors at Bolo Bhi and has previously worked at Newsline It is not about YouTube, just like it was never about Facebook in 2010. The issue was never limited to the reopening of particular platforms which were accessed through the use of proxies by Pakistanis despite the bans in […]


Mature decisions

Pakistan Press Foundation

YouTube is a known to all of us; we can easily say that it is the most popular social website, every imaginable video can be found on this website from ‘how to’ videos to political advertisements. The influence which YouTube has on communication can be seen through the various videos which are put on the […]


PTA given three-day deadline to fix YouTube problem

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: The government has put the ball into the court of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for re-opening YouTube, as the regulator has been given a three-day deadline to put a mechanism in place to stop the uploading of blasphemous content. “We have developed IT solutions to block around 4,000 URLs having blasphemous content with […]


Free expression today

Pakistan Press Foundation

In a YouTube-less Pakistan, where children and young women are punished for their freedom of expression while radical, militant societal elements are given prime time coverage A parent is told at a parent–teacher meeting that her daughter has been careless lately. When asked to describe and draw an eggplant in science class, she left the […]


Well, at least we’ve banned YouTube

Pakistan Press Foundation

I had been considering writing on this topic for a while, but I foolishly believed it to be ‘trivial’ or ‘unimportant’, or even ‘so incredibly stupid that my brain hurt to dwell on it for more than a moment’. But our elected leadership and our guardians of justice have managed to open my stubborn eyes. […]


The YouTube ban

Pakistan Press Foundation

If adult sites can be effectively blocked in Pakistan, why cant objectionable material be banned on YouTube? It is incomprehensible why a decision on unblocking the site cannot be taken. Is the matter more complicated than the Kashmir problem? Jahanzeb Rawalpindi The News


Censoring social media: Government caught between fans and foes

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: When Max Kelly left his job of the chief security officer at the Facebook in 2010, he just disappeared from the screens of the virtual world – only to be discovered after Edward Snowden rocked the real world with his revelations that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had been snooping on the cyber […]


‘Do you use YouTube, minister?’

Pakistan Press Foundation

“Do you use YouTube, Minister?” I asked. “No, because it is not allowed,” she replied sounding a little taken aback. “Do you think your internet experience has been qualitatively compromised since that ban?” I followed up. “Yes, of course, it has,” she replied again. I thanked her for her time and left her office. My […]


IT minister again fails to appear in court in YouTube case

Pakistan Press Foundation

LAHORE: The minister for information technology and her secretary again did not appear before the Lahore High Court and the judge again issued notices to them on a petition challenging the ban imposed by the former government last year on the Youtube for exhibiting blasphemous material on it. On Tuesday, the court was informed that […]


Nawaz to decide issue of YouTube after Eid

Pakistan Press Foundation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will take a final decision on re-opening of YouTube in Pakistan after Eid Ul Fitr in accordance with the recommendations prepared by an inter-ministerial committee. According to an announcement made by Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT) on Wednesday, the Minister of State for IT&T, Anusha Rahman, has directed to convene […]


Court again calls IT minister in YouTube ban case on 7th

Pakistan Press Foundation

LAHORE: As Information Technology Minister and secretary did not appear before the Lahore High Court on Friday, the court again sought their appearance in person on August 07 in petition challenging ban on access to YouTube in Pakistan. An additional secretary appeared before the court and said the minister is busy in preparation of IT […]