Pakistan To Restore YouTube But Block Offensive Videos

Last week the media was abuzz with news of Pakistan blocking Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and other social media sites. The social sites were banned due to sacrilegious content that was offensive to Muslims. However, it was announced today that YouTube will be restored in Pakistan, though certain offensive videos will be blocked.

The Miami Herald reported this morning that since the crackdown many citizens have been questioning why the Pakistani government blocked the entire sites instead of just the offensive pages and videos. Today the government began thinking along these same lines. Najibullah Malik, the secretary at Pakistan’s information technology ministry, said that YouTube access would be restored but that videos “displaying profane or sacrilegious material” will continue to be blocked.

The government has issued orders to Internet services in Pakistan, letting them know which content should be blocked and asking them to implement their decision. However, I wonder how the decision will be enforced. With twenty-four hours of new video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, how will all of the religiously offensive content be weeded out and blocked?

Facebook is still blocked for the time being and no decisions have been made, as of yet, regarding the social media site’s restoration.

How do you feel about Pakistan’s decision to restore YouTube, minus the offensive content? Do you think their plan will work, or that offensive content will continue to slip past the radar and into the homes of Pakistani viewers?

AllFacebook Marketing Conference returns to San Francisco on June 28-29! Join us and get a how-to guide for marketing to Facebook’s 800 million users. A full agenda will be announced soon. Keep an eye on our event site for more information. Special early pricing is available for only $249 until this Wednesday, February 15, so register today.