Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Cybersecurity
    • IT Management
    • Storage

    Facebook, YouTube Banned in Pakistan

    By
    Nicholas Kolakowski
    -
    May 20, 2010
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      The Pakistani government temporarily blocked in-country access to YouTube May 20, a day after barring Facebook, and accused both Websites of sacrilege, following protests across Pakistan in reaction to a Facebook group titled, “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!”

      That Facebook group asked users to draw and submit images of the Prophet Muhammad on May 20. “We are not trying to slander the average Muslim, it’s not a Muslim/Islam hate page,” the group’s moderator wrote. “We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Muhammad depictions that we’re not afraid of them.”

      Some 99,754 people had clicked to “Like” the Facebook group by the afternoon of May 20. In Pakistan, however, anger over the depictions of the prophet-forbidden by Islamic code-led to the blocking of not only Facebook, but also YouTube for a few hours.

      The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority cited “growing sacrilegious contents” as the reason to act against YouTube, according to the Associated Press, as well as “derogatory material” on both the video-sharing site and Facebook. By midday May 20, though, the Wall Street Journal reported that the ban against YouTube had been lifted, apparently after unspecified offensive material was removed.

      The ban on Facebook will stay in place until May 31, according to a Pakistani High Court ruling. Reactions within Pakistan seem mixed, according to news reports, with many suggesting that the specific Facebook group should have been banned instead of the entire Website; but other opinions range across the spectrum.

      “Such malicious and insulting attacks hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and cannot be accepted under the garb of freedom of expression,” Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abdul Basit told the Associated Press May 20, in reference to the Facebook group.

      Facebook’s response to the matter seemed cautious.

      “While the content does not violate our terms, we do understand it may not be legal in some countries,” the social networking site said in a statement widely disseminated online. “In cases like this, the approach is sometimes to restrict certain content from being shown in specific countries.”

      Meanwhile, a Facebook group titled, “Against ‘Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!'” had been “Liked” by more than 106,781 people.

      Nicholas Kolakowski
      Nicholas Kolakowski is a staff editor at eWEEK, covering Microsoft and other companies in the enterprise space, as well as evolving technology such as tablet PCs. His work has appeared in The Washington Post, Playboy, WebMD, AARP the Magazine, AutoWeek, Washington City Paper, Trader Monthly, and Private Air. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×