Pakistan Orders Internet Ban On Google, Yahoo, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, Amazon & MSN

from the have-fun dept

Wed, Jun 23rd 2010 4:02pm — Mike Masnick

Perhaps Pakistan should just turn off its internet connection? We've already had stories recently about how courts have ordered that both Facebook and YouTube be blocked -- but supposedly both bans had been lifted. Then came the news that there were attempts to put Facebook's founders on trial, potentially for a death sentence, because some users had posted stuff people in Pakistan didn't like. The latest, sent in by Ali, is that a Pakistani court has ordered a whole bunch of popular websites be blocked from access. You may have heard of a few of these: Google, Yahoo, Bing, MSN, YouTube, Amazon and Hotmail. Who are they missing? Ebay? Twitter? I'm sure those will be blocked soon enough...

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: bing, blocks, hotmail, msn, pakistan
Companies: amazon, google, microsoft, yahoo, youtube

30 Comments

If you liked this post, you may also be interested in...

Reader Comments

Subscribe: RSS

View by: Time | Thread

Craig (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 3:58pm

Information (control?) is power
So many regimes require the dumbing-down of their people in order to keep them under control. Gone are the days when you can seal your borders with armies or navies...I don't even know why they try any more, to be honest.
They might consider changing the name of the country to StoneAgeIstan.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 4:45pm
  
  Re: Information (control?) is power
  Because if you are China, it pretty much works well for them to block so many sites.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
yourrealname (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 4:12pm

I can't wait until they figure out people are using proxy sites to access them and the Pakistani government has to start a daily update of which proxy sites are banned.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 4:13pm

I think the old Aol or compuserve business model may be ready for a comeback!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 4:17pm

Don't even use DNS for those sites, just define them in the hosts file. No proxy needed once you know the IPs.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Another User, 23 Jun 2010 @ 5:31pm
  
  Re:
  Depends on how they block the site. Usually when blocking websites I do it by IP not by DNS name. So even if you do it by DNS it is still blocked. But unless you a lot of money for a strong filter that has more flexibility then direct IP/DNS blocking then it is pretty much worthless.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - chris (profile), 24 Jun 2010 @ 10:32am
    
    Re: Re:
    Depends on how they block the site. Usually when blocking websites I do it by IP not by DNS name. So even if you do it by DNS it is still blocked. But unless you a lot of money for a strong filter that has more flexibility then direct IP/DNS blocking then it is pretty much worthless.
    
    or just tunnel thru SSH. this is pretty easy to setup (provided you have a shell account somewhere - i recommend the Super Dimensional Fortress: sdf.lonestar.org) and has the added benefit of encryption.
    
    if SSH is blocked, you can tunnel thru http as well, but you need a machine outside the firewall running the service.
    
    short of cutting cables, it's pretty tough to block access to someone with sufficient determination and a little know-how.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
TN, 23 Jun 2010 @ 6:11pm

Pakistan is just being too damned 'babyish'!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
minijedimaster (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 6:37pm

Apparently no one has informed the Pakastan courts that there is these new inventions called "encryption" and "proxy servers". As a side note, when the hell did we let a third rate country such as this have the internets? This is just proof they're not ready yet people! Get with the program!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
GeneralEmergency (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 6:41pm

Obligatory....
Pakistan makes the Baby Prophet Muhammad cry!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 7:21pm

umm, mike, pakistan, you know, the place that doesnt protect terror except their home grown and pretty much wants to get out of every trade, copyright, or patent agreement possible. it is sort of a no brainer.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- abc gum, 23 Jun 2010 @ 7:53pm
  
  Re:
  Umm, yeah - and they like harbor "Extreme Radicals" 'n stuff.
  Derrrr
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 8:06pm
  
  Re:
  Do you even have a point with this episode of Trolling with TAM?
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
  - Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2010 @ 8:22pm
    
    Re: Re:
    It makes me laugh.
    [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Rana, 23 Jun 2010 @ 8:28pm

never block Google, Yahoo, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, Amazon & MSN
Above post is wrong, Pakistan never block these websites any time Google, Yahoo, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, Amazon & MSN.

Just facebook was banned for few days in May but non of other.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Mike Masnick (profile), 23 Jun 2010 @ 11:16pm
  
  Re: never block Google, Yahoo, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, Amazon & MSN
  Above post is wrong, Pakistan never block these websites any time Google, Yahoo, Bing, Hotmail, YouTube, Amazon & MSN.
  
  There's a link in the story to an article from a Pakistani publication claiming that the block for all of those sites happened today. Are you claiming that publication is incorrect?
  
  No one said that those sites were blocked before. But the article says they've all been blocked now.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
Ameer, 24 Jun 2010 @ 12:15am

I'm Pakistani, and this is total ass. How can you even THINK about banning google or youtube. It's against the right to free speech. Yeesh.
The Lahore High Court are just a bunch of old wankers who have nothing better to do with their time. Why not just block Televisions too, or music, or schools.
UGH. Annoying!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Fergie (profile), 24 Jun 2010 @ 2:47am

Blocking by Pakistan
Why not, all servers outside of Pakistan just block all queries from IP's coming from Pakistan!
It would create havoc and let the people make the decisions what they want in place for their government!
I believe changes would be made in short order!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2010 @ 4:22am

Pakistan
Pakistan was a big mistake by the British government in the 1940's - they should have created a single Indian state. Instead we had mass migration, hardship, a cold war between India and Pakistan, a war of independence to create Bangladesh, a disputed territory in Kashmir - part of which was lost to China as a side effect - and TWO cricket teams we can't beat instead of only one.

Muslims get on just fine in India for the most part - the captain of their cricket side a few years back was a Muslim. India has also been a stable democracy for most of its existence and a demonstration that democracy can work in a largely 3rd world country. Pakistan on the other hand has lurched between corrupt democratic leaders and military dictators and now seems to be flirting with religious extremism. Pakistan was not necessary. It was created (along with Israel) in the last gasp of the anachronistic theory that states should have a uniform religious background.

This theory was already blown out of the water by the Roman empire centuries before and has since been totally demolished by the success of the United States and the movement of most western european countries towards religious pluralism.

Don't get me wrong, I have known some wonderful Pakistanis in my time, and their nation has many great achievements - it is just that it would all have been better as part of a larger and more pluralist whole.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
giafly, 24 Jun 2010 @ 6:39am

Supporters of this law haven't thought it through
Seems to me that supporters of this law bring the teachings of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) into disrepute, defiling his sacred name, and so logically they should themselves be punished by death.

http://www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/9da54d3f22f184f1802567390039e0d6?Opendocument
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Robert Ring (profile), 24 Jun 2010 @ 8:13am

Mike, considering the Facebook people are getting a Pakistani death sentence, I would consider you also not plan any trips to Pakistan in the near future.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
- Michael, 24 Jun 2010 @ 9:32am
  
  Re:
  He probably can't - Mike seems to want to be able to update TechDirt day and night - even when he is on vacation.
  
  Since Pakistan is actively blocking nearly the entire internet, it seems like it would be a frustrating trip for him anyway.
  
  However, a death sentence might be better than going there anyway.
  [ link to this | view in chronology ]
BillS (profile), 26 Jun 2010 @ 4:51am

Sidestepping the Internet Ban
It's like an arms race at this point. If they really did seriously block these sites in addition to proxies there are sites like mypersonalbrowser.com which create a browser outside the firewall for open browsing. I think the remote PC sites might be an obvious approach as well (assuming the PC is not on the same side of the firewall ;) )
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Farhan, 27 Jun 2010 @ 10:49am

BULL SHIT
NO ONE CAN COMPLETELY CONTROL THE INTERNET... this is totally stupid, and those who file complaints against such websites... why do they look for the content in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bushra, 22 Oct 2010 @ 10:21pm

dkfi
nice site dear
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
azhar, 13 Nov 2010 @ 6:26am

i luv ur site
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
nosheen, 8 Dec 2010 @ 11:57pm

forex
gud and latest updates
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
suriya, 8 Dec 2010 @ 11:58pm

forex trading
new and gud updates
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
bushraa, 9 Dec 2010 @ 9:01pm

diamond
NO ONE CAN COMPLETELY CONTROL THE INTERNET... this is totally stupid, and those who file complaints against such websites... why do they look for the content in the first place!!!!!!!!!!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
suriyaa, 10 Dec 2010 @ 3:00pm

forex
nice ggoooddd site
[ link to this | view in chronology ]