In recent days, residents of Turkey have had unrestricted access to YouTube for the first time in 30 months. Now a court in Ankara has ordered the site banned again because the video sharing site hosts clips featuring former opposition leader Deniz Baykal. Turkey’s Telecommunications Minister has been instructed to request the removal of the clips, and block the site if Google does not immediately comply.
YouTube was originally banned in May 2008 after the courts took issue with some clips on the site. Specifically, some videos were found to be insulting to Turkey’s modern founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, This is considered a crime in Turkey. Turkish users have been able to access YouTube through proxies, but the experience is degraded. Bloomberg is reporting that the site is still accessible right now, but that could change at any time.
Related posts: