Egyptian Youtube Censorship

[+and-then]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/02/09/egyptian-court-orders-youtube-blocked-over-anti-islam-film/

I don't know how individual sites can be blocked from the net. Anyone care to explain that to me? How is it accomplished technically?

[GoldenWolf]

It's pretty simple on a P.C., use a host file where specific site loops back to the originating computer hence you get nothing, I'd imagine an I.S.P. does something similar (Under authority of their government).

[AsteroidX]

U Tube has some kind of blocking system. They do it all the time on copyright issues. " This video is unavailable for in your country"

Edited February 10, 2013 by AsteroidX

[Tutankhaten-pasheri]

Generally, and perhaps not in all countries, the physical cables that enter a country go to a giant hub, maybe more than one depending on size of country. These hubs may be administered by a collective of ISPs on behalf of the government, or by the government itself. The ISPs then take feed off the hub or hubs. There is a specific technical name for these hubs but I forget. So, all internet traffic entering or leaving a country can be monitored and controlled at, often, a single point. It is an easy matter for any government to impose blocking on any site like Youtube, or even blocks against specific countries. About control of satelite uplinks I do not know.

[+and-then]

Thanks everyone. I am not tech savvy and had some concept of the inet as some free for all I guess. Today it's You Tube, wonder what the PTB in Egypt will decide is inappropriate for it's citizens tomorrow?

[Yamato]

Thanks everyone. I am not tech savvy and had some concept of the inet as some free for all I guess. Today it's You Tube, wonder what the PTB in Egypt will decide is inappropriate for it's citizens tomorrow?

The courts "ordered the government"? Where is it in Egypt's Constitution that says their courts can do that?

Turkey bans their citizens from Youtube due to attacks on Ataturk, mainly from Greeks and Armenians who have a vendetta. There's a lot of "Was Ataturk gay?" content that Turkey finds offensive and like I asked my Turkish g/f, if these rumors are false then Turks should be allowed a voice online to counter them, not silenced so they're allowed to continue. She agreed though it's hardly surprising her family lives in the secular west side of Istanbul and disagree with the Islamic reforms the current administration is allowing.

[+and-then]

The courts "ordered the government"? Where is it in Egypt's Constitution that says their courts can do that?

Turkey bans their citizens from Youtube due to attacks on Ataturk, mainly from Greeks and Armenians who have a vendetta. There's a lot of "Was Ataturk gay?" content that Turkey finds offensive and like I asked my Turkish g/f, if these rumors are false then Turks should be allowed a voice online to counter them, not silenced so they're allowed to continue. She agreed though it's hardly surprising her family lives in the secular west side of Istanbul and disagree with the Islamic reforms the current administration is allowing.

I think the point of the piece was that the MB controlled Islamist government is already beginning to enforce religious extremism. I sincerely hope your G/Fs family has a plan B because I think Turkey is on the way to reverting back to this same kind of extremism, forgetting and eroding all the things done by Attaturk. Erdogan is a menace and it will become more apparent as time goes by I think.

[Indiogene]

Not only YT, other social network sites like FB and Twitter were instrumental in development of the "Arab Spring" uprisings, would the Egyptian government ban those sites next? (I hope not for goodness sake). Egypt is relatively new to democracy, but what the Muslim Brotherhood believes in is not purely democratic...imposing new laws or regulations based on someone's religious belief will not work out in a country which had a previous secular yet tyrannical government.

[Yamato]

I think the point of the piece was that the MB controlled Islamist government is already beginning to enforce religious extremism.

I'm well aware of the point the piece was trying to make but it failed to make it when it starts off with a false and ridiculous statement like that.

Banning internet isn't unique to Egypt. Banning Youtube isn't unique to anybody. There's bans in the US too; I've seen them personally on my own channel and it's pretty sad, per AsteroidX's post above. Of course we won't care about that, we want to care about others when they do it, not us, and Egypt certainly looks PC enough to pick on, the Moozlims that they are.