Russian Court Orders YouTube Blocked

from the this-is-becoming-all-too-common dept

Over the years, we've seen various countries order YouTube totally blocked for one reason or another. Turkey and Pakistan, for example, have both banned YouTube at various times. And now we can apparently add Russia to the list. Vic points us to news of a ruling in a Russian court ordering an ISP to block access to YouTube (Google translation of the original), along with four online libraries. Why the total block? Apparently, YouTube was hosting a video called "Russia for Russians," which is problematic for whatever reason. What isn't explained is why one problematic video should lead to all of YouTube being blocked, but... those kinds of things are never clearly explained by courts making these kinds of rulings.
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Filed Under: block, russia, youtube
Companies: youtube


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  1. icon
    crade (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 1:43pm

    "In terms of its denseness verdict of Judge Eisenberg is typical [...]"

    Gotta love translation apps!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. icon
    fogbugzd (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 2:07pm

    Obvious reason

    The reason for blocking the whole YouTube.com domain is obvious. The judge wanted to draw maximum attention to the video. By blocking the entire site people log on and see that youtube is gone. They ask around at work and find out that youtube is blocked because of one particularly interesting video. They also get the url of one of a dozen other sites that are hosting copies of the video.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    Richard, 30 Jul 2010 @ 2:10pm

    From: Russia ~ with love

    Ok, so I need to know why the video was so problematic. I mean, the idea that all Russians are now banned from seeing anything on youtube is preposterous. Besides, Russians are master hackers by the time the leave kindergarten?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2010 @ 2:24pm

    Putin will not be happy as he was using Youtube to post propaganda there.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. icon
    Andrew F (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 2:49pm

    Russia for Russians

    See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia_for_Russians

    Apparently, it's a nationalist slogan.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    Russian Guy, 30 Jul 2010 @ 3:44pm

    It is easy to jump to conclusions

    Ya, I am russian guy so may be my ideas are biased but still listen to me.

    This 'Russia for Russians' movement is very much equivelant to a nazi or a skinhead type of organization. they promote hate, prejudice, and violence against non russians, especially jews and muslims.

    I browse youtube all the time but i never see a pro nazi or skinhead video promoting hate and violence up for more then a few hours. So why is it ok to promote the same type of movement if it has no relation to americans??

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    nonanonymous, 30 Jul 2010 @ 4:15pm

    Okay, may be check what's going before posting?

    Mike, I typically don't care about some sloppy postings that happen, but seriously, you basically know nothing of the story and you are posting it.

    So lets go with basics:

    1. A single judge ordered a single regional ISP to stop providing access to Youtube along with 4 other social networking sites.

    2. The reason for blocking Youtube was availability of videos that have been deemed hate speech in March of this year. The videos are posted by Russian neo-nazi groups

    3. Other sites are to be blocked due to availability of "Main Kampf"

    4. The far more important take away which you COMPLETELY missed here is that there are law amendments in the works right now that will allow government law enforcement agencies to block sites deemed to be pushing hate speech within three days with a court permission. There were also other amendments proposed previously of the same nature, but they have not gone through.

    5. There is already rather harsh criticism within Russian digital media representatives

    So you had many interesting parts to this story and you just missed them all. Yeah, the decision is dumb, but so is posting about it without understanding more. Aren't you connected to Silicon Valley where Russians just about grow on trees?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. icon
    interval (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 4:34pm

    Okay, whatever

    nonanonymous, you can explain it as slowly as you want, it still sounds stupid. Letting your government decide what's best for you is sheer stupidity. That should be YOUR takeaway from this article. Same for you Russian Dude.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  9. identicon
    nonanonymous, 30 Jul 2010 @ 4:47pm

    Re: Okay, whatever

    I think even if I use a 2x4 and Morse code on your face, you would still not understand. You obviously did not read my full post since you would know that I qualified the decision as dumb, same as you. And you most certainly missed the part that the decision itself pales in comparison to what the government is trying to pull off on a national scale.

    Now go get your Adderall prescription filled so you can finish reading a post past the first sentence.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  10. icon
    Brian (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 5:07pm

    Re: From: Russia ~ with love

    You must be thinking of the olden times. To even get INTO Kindergarten, Russian children have to be able to hack into at least three highly encrypted databases in under 25 minutes while blindfolded and riding a bear

    link to this | view in thread ]

  11. icon
    The Groove Tiger (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 5:50pm

    Re: It is easy to jump to conclusions

    So what you are saying is that someone posting a Russia for Russians video is equivalent to YouTube actively promoting Russian skinheads and therefore must be blocked entirely?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  12. identicon
    blackturtle.us, 30 Jul 2010 @ 7:17pm

    Kremlin on YouTube

    The Kremlin has a YouTube channel! Just tack a slash and kremlin after the basic YouTube URL and see for youself! At this moment a speech by Medvedev is autoplaying!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  13. icon
    Phillip Vector (profile), 30 Jul 2010 @ 9:46pm

    Re: Obvious reason

    To the Streisand Mobile!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  14. identicon
    Kirion, 30 Jul 2010 @ 11:13pm

    Re: Okay, may be check what's going before posting?

    As I'm from Russia too, I'd want to add more clarifications.

    YouTube is not banned in Russia anywhere. They simply can't enforce this ruling, and also ISP in question had appealed ruling. And I'm 100% sure that ruling will be overturned: It was hilariously bad. Basically judge copypasted text from another ruling and even forgot to change names of companies. There were some factual and grammar errors also.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  15. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 30 Jul 2010 @ 11:52pm

    Re: Re: Okay, whatever

    So... Mike is stupid for calling it stupid, yet you're somehow different? And it's 'Mein Kampf'. At least spell the shit right.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  16. identicon
    nonanymous, 31 Jul 2010 @ 10:59am

    Re: Re: Re: Okay, whatever

    Rather typical, you can't understand what's going, so you turn into a spelling Nazi. Yep, that pun is for you, enjoy.

    Since you didn't read the post past your favorite book's name misspelling, may be you should go back and see that Mike is getting a grilling for missing out on so many parts of the story that makes it way more interesting, not because he disagrees with the decision.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  17. icon
    Mike Masnick (profile), 31 Jul 2010 @ 5:48pm

    Re: Okay, may be check what's going before posting?

    Hi, nonanonymous,

    First off, thanks for adding more context to the story. That's very useful. In fact that's exactly what we hope people do here. I never claim to have the full story and always assume that the community will know more than I do, so I fully expect people to add useful and interesting commentary here. So I am not quite sure why you're so angry. I appreciate the added context but don't get the need you felt to insult me as well for kicking off the discussion in a manner differently than you would have.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  18. identicon
    nonanymous, 31 Jul 2010 @ 8:22pm

    Re: Re: Okay, may be check what's going before posting?

    Don't worry, I still love you. May be it was just Friday, but even google translate could fish out more sub-topics for you to talk about yet all you covered was the first paragraph, literally. Besides, your typical trolls were not here, so someone has to take the power vacuum created.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  19. icon
    Pickle Monger (profile), 2 Aug 2010 @ 7:17am

    Re: Re: Re: Re: Okay, whatever

    Wow! It's like I'm back in Moscow. I feel so warm and fuzzy....

    link to this | view in thread ]

  20. icon
    Brendan (profile), 11 Aug 2010 @ 3:36pm

    Re: Re: Obvious reason

    Which song should be playing in my head while I picture this?

    link to this | view in thread ]

  21. identicon
    Mike, 27 Jan 2011 @ 4:18am

    eh no matter who you cant defeat us freedom loving net lurkers! just use tubemirror.com and happiness will be yours =D

    link to this | view in thread ]

  22. icon
    sprearson81 (profile), 8 Jun 2012 @ 6:42pm

    Blocked and locked like it should be,

    link to this | view in thread ]


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