back to article Turkey's YouTube blackout enters year two

Turkey is getting a dressing-down today from free press organization Reporters Without Borders, as the country's blockage of YouTube enters year two. Google's video-sharing site has been banned a number of times in Turkey since early 2007, in most cases because of videos deemed insulting to the country's founding father, …

COMMENTS

This topic is closed for new posts.
  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So near, yet so far

    In utterly unrelated news: Turkey is the country that gets upset because half the European Union doesn't want it to join.

  2. MadonnaC
    Joke

    In other news

    Turkey blacks out all news sites for reporting on this story, as it is derogitory to the turkish government

    In unrelated news, China offers Turkey it's firewall

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    It is their connection...

    Its their internet connection, they can do whatever they want.

    In any case, losing YouTube isn't restricting freedoms, but just blocking stupidity. They can say the same thing about the IWF..

  4. J
    Pirate

    They want to join the EU?

    Why would they want to join that bunch of "insulting" folks? And why would EU want them to join, given their idea of freedom of expression? Turkey should just start their own site, what about YouTurk, and be done with it.

  5. Poopie McStinklestein
    Thumb Down

    What sort of a country

    What sort of a country gets offended by insults on a message board?

    A very immature one, for sure. One that's not certain enough of its status in the world.

    It's like someone saying "Your Mum's a slag" to me. It's just laughably childish. Are they expecting me to start a fight?

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @poppie mcstinklestein

    "It's like someone saying "Your Mum's a slag" to me. It's just laughably childish. Are they expecting me to start a fight?"

    No, Turkey would just cut off a limb!

  7. Fluffykins Silver badge

    What kind of crediblity

    Of just what kind of crediblity is Mr Ataturk posessed, that it needs a big strop chucking is someone says something derogatory.

    Doesn't really say much at all, either for the guy or those chucking strops, does it?

    Nah, not wanted in the EU til l they grow up a bit.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Motion to start building "Great Wall of European Union"

    on the Greece - Turkey border.

    Maybe Turkey will be ready for EU by the next Millennium...

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    I smell a hack

    Wouldn't it be funny if Turkish prosecutors web site was hack.

    There are worse things to say about Mustafa Kemal Ataturk then that what was said.

    It just such a prime target now.

  10. Nick Galloway

    If tyou don't understand...

    ... you shouldn't comment. Having lived in Turkey I can understand the phenomenon and reverence held for Ataturk. His achievements and legacy are what holds this sizable country together as a cohesive entity.

    A little bit of respect and common decency in the modern world would make everyone's life easier. If you poke fun at someone or something and it blows up in your face, well don't try blaming someone else for your own stupidity.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Kebabs

    So, we're fortunate enough to be able to go to the pub, get wellied and then sit watching "Kiss Rock" on YouTube while eating a kebab? It's the height of civilisation!

    ...and the Turks?

  12. Osiris

    In other news

    “The monitoring of the internet has gone on long enough,” Reporters Without Borders said today in a prepared statement. “We urge the British authorities to amend their legislation regulating Internet use instead of than arbitrarily monitoring content. Such behaviour is unworthy of a country that claims to be democratic and makes us very concerned for the future of the Internet in Britan. We call for the revision of Jacqui Smith's position that led to this unwarranted intrusion.”

  13. Martijn Bakker
    Go

    Amusing

    Couldn't help but laugh at all this indignation with the Turks, coming from residents of one of the few countries to block Wikipedia.

    Might it be, that Turks are about as happy with their archaic internet laws as Brits are with the IWF?

    At least the Turkish censorship has a basis in law and is subject to democratic control.

    That said, I don't see why insults to Ataturk should be in a list of otherwise generally undesirable content either. Maybe one needs to be a Turk to actually understand.

    Can a Turkish reader explain why insulting Ataturk is right up there with terrorism and child porn and the other great evils of our day?

  14. Alan Brown Silver badge

    Governemental rectocranial inversions.

    How many people think it takes more than 30 seconds to go round the blocks in most countries?

    and that's with an IQ down at room temperature.

  15. Cameron Colley

    But can they look at Wikipedia?

    As has been alluded to in a previous post -- we in the UK have similar, though admittedly not as wide-ranging, policies blocking our internet as do Australia, the US and many other countries.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Litle kids big toys

    like the mouse that roared

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Flame

    Don't mention the war...

    'I mentioned it once but i think i got away with it*...'

    * that would be WW1 where troops of the Ottoman Empire (now modern day Turkey) carried out genocide against the Armenian people. Except in Turkey history says this never happened, the official line is denial. Try posting that on the web in Turkey, whilst relating it to Attaturk and his role in the genocide, and see how soon you end up in a scene from Midnight Express

  18. Moss Icely Spaceport
    Black Helicopters

    UKTube

    "Turkey is just one of several countries to have barred YouTube, including China, Armenia, Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudia Arabia, and Syria."

    Soon to be joined by: the United Kingdom and Australia.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The graveyard of Ataturk statues

    I imagine Mustafa Kemal must be spinning in his grave at the lamentably dumb behaviour of his republic's "protectors".

    A journalist friend told me a story about an unusual "graveyard" somewhere in the Turkish hinterland. Apparently all statues of Ataturk that are produced (and boy are there a lot) are subject to quality control by some ministry or other, who presumably check for appropriate dignity, likeness etc etc. A statue that fails the test is of no use of course, but in keeping with the 'no insults' regime, can't be destroyed as presumably this would be insulting. So they are all carted off to some great statue graveyard to live out their (rather lengthy if they're bronze) days in peace surrounded by their own, slightly imperfect kind. Must be a sight to see.

    Apparently they are an important element of the rites of passage for rebellious Kurdish youth, who like to piss the state off by climbing the statues that festoon Turkish squares, drop their cacks, and deposit a large steaming Mr Whippy on the Founding Fathers noble head.

    Any country that gets so bloody precious about historical figures is just asking for it really.

  20. jake Silver badge

    Pardon me while I channel Serdar Argıç's evil twin.

    "Turkey is just one of several countries to have barred YouTube, including China, Armenia, Morocco, Pakistan, Thailand, Iran, United Arab Emirates, Saudia Arabia, and Syria."

    I'm not a fan of YouTube, in fact I've only visited it a handful of times. However, I think that it says more about the countries that have barred YouTube than it does YouTube itself.

    In other news, has Turkey officially addressed the Armenian genocide yet? In this modern world you can run but you can't hide from history ... Better to own up to the past than try to shovel it under the carpet. Refusing reality only makes you look silly.

  21. Frank

    @Fluffykins re. What kind of credibility

    I agree. The mature thing to do would be for that Ataturk bloke to post a video response, preferably using a bit of humour to puncture the ego balloon of those nonces who insulted him.

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    On the other hand...

    YouTube is full of crap anyway.

  23. Fluffykins Silver badge

    You Tube blocked by the UK?

    Oh, yes, PLEASE!!!

  24. Anonymous Coward
    Stop

    So...

    In light of this, clearly Turkey is unsuitable to join the EU any time soon.

  25. The Fuzzy Wotnot
    Thumb Down

    Utter waste of time!

    Tell you what, how about we report on their wonderful human rights abuses instead of wasting time banging on about the fact that the Turks have been saved the pleasure of watching crap videos?

    Crap vidoes from crap camera phones of young women in various states of undress ( so I am lead to believe! ) , Chavs getting drunk and setting fire to themselves and idiots with skateboards and too much fecking time on on their hands!

    Really though, perhaps we could drew up a report on how this wonderful country buys UK made arms, murders and tortures it's own citizens whenever they start complaining about things. This country has more serious problems that require attention, than what lack of presence the worlds biggest corp has. Yes, sorry to break it to you, but Google is a mega-corp like MS not a fluffy, fun web company!

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Ah, Turkey...

    First of all, google "turkey human rights". The Turkish police and security services use torture routinely, and extrajudicial executions freely. The only people who are not afraid of them are the Turkish Mafia, who know where they all live and so have a de facto veto over all parts of law enforcement (the only reason why they haven't taken over the country is that they can't be arsed).

    Kemal Ataturk isn't the only one so protected - there are laws in Turkey against offending the Turkish army and the Turkish identity as well. The government and judiciary are not protected by such laws, but they have other ways hit back at those who annoy them. Added to that, there is a whole minefield of subjects that you broach at your peril. The massacre of Armenian Christians, for instance, is something that most of Turkey is determined to forget.

    Mustafa Kemal Ataturk founded the modern Turkish state, on secular lines. He outlawed all the overt trappings of the old culture (e.g. the fez) that would look out of place in a modern country, and forced all his citizens to abandon arabic-style names in favour of European surnames. Every family chose their own surname - his own surname, Ataturk, means "father of Turkey".

    Respect for notable national leaders is all very well, but when raised to such a fervent pitch and enforced by criminal law, it becomes a state religion.

  27. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Blocked? only a little bit.

    Seems fine to me. Its been working for a while now. I assume youtube may have a new IP addy that isn't on the block list. However if you use TTNet's DNS you get directed to a government site where no doubt they (as in them) are taking names and numbers as to just who's trying to look at what. Speaking of which how about https for the comments. You know you want to.

    Open DNS is much more...well..... open.

    Alan Brown's suggestion of a 30 second bypass is a bit tricky as people here are very obedient in comparison with other nations and most would probably not even consider it as an option which was open to them. The internet is also limited to those with money. 50TL a month for a 1024 ADSL line £25ish which with an average wage of Sweet FA comes in big. Other than that internet cafes are the main form of interaction with the world online.

  28. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    I'm moving if...

    they also manage to block: Facebook, Twitter & Bebo..

This topic is closed for new posts.

Other stories you might like