Pakistan lifts YouTube block after introducing local variant

Pakistan has lifted its YouTube blockade after three years over the publication of an anti-Islamic film. In the meantime, Google has been working on a new version, where the government could submit immediate removal requests.

With the new version of YouTube, the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority could immediately request the removal of certain material through an online process, Reuters reports. For example, users within Pakistan would no longer be able to see the deleted content. In 2012, YouTube refused to remove the controversial anti-Muslim film Innocence of Muslims. This then led to the blockade of the service. The film itself resulted in violent incidents in Pakistan and other countries.

Last week, Google released localized versions of YouTube for Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The government’s ability to remove content was one of the conditions under which Pakistan’s highest court would lift the blockade, AFP news agency said. At the time, Google confirmed that videos that violate local laws will indeed be removed. However, nothing was said about how a government can file a takedown request and whether this is a special process. The company will keep track of the requests and include them in its transparency reports.

In Pakistan, the death penalty can be imposed for blasphemy, but this has not happened so far. Also in 2008 the government had blocked YouTube, then because of the film ‘Fitna’ by Geert Wilders.