NEW DELHI: Video-sharing website YouTube has blocked access in India to an anti-Islam film that surfaced in the United States and has since sparked deadly protests in the Muslim world, Google said on Friday.
US-based search engine Google, which owns YouTube, did not say whether it acted on its own or was asked to remove the content by the Indian government.
"We do, at times, block content in response to a court order or other valid legal process. We have blocked access to the YouTube page in the Indian domain," a Google executive, who asked not to be named, told AFP.
YouTube had earlier this week offered to "temporarily" restrict access to the film in Libya and Egypt, the hotbed of protests, because of the "very difficult situation" in both the countries.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have already blocked access to the movie, which was condemned as "inhuman" and "provocative".
Indonesia has also demanded that YouTube remove the film from its website.
Protesters have targeted US embassies for the film, which portrays followers of the Islamic faith as immoral and gratuitously violent.
Four people died in the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Thursday as violence flared outside US embassies over the low-budget film.
The deaths followed the killing of US diplomat and three colleagues in Syria Tuesday, after a mob stormed the consulate in Benghazi.
India is home to a Muslim population estimated at about 150 million, according to census data.
COMMENTS (14)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
As I've said, unless you figure out how to 'blow up the internet' you can see this anywhere....and you'll be seeing more like it.
Better to have courage in your faith and ignore it.
The internet is NOT going away.
I am able to see this video even in Pakistan! People have uploaded the video under different names and in the form of small clips.
@John B: "Why is that Hindu’s in India are not asking Zakir Naik sermons in the YouTube to be removed?"
You are a votary of free speech. I saw a well argued post about how the freedom of expression is an inalienable right granted by the First Amendment in US and how it is desirable. Why would you say this? We need to reverse the bullying by religious zealots that creates barriers to free speech. Whether it is VHP crazies or Shahi Imam of Delhi and his crazy followers.
There should be zero tolerance for those who use violence and intmidation as tactics to control the debate on any issue regardless of the faith of the criminal.
It is good to see that despite countries with Muslim populations that are a tiny fraction of India erupting, india is still calm. I hope it stays that way. In the last 10 years, theMuslim leadership has also become more mature and nationalistic and this was seen when the Ram Janmabhoomi - Babri highcourt judgment came out. People like Mulayam tried to bait the Muslims but they did not rise to the bait. They have taken the case to the supreme court which is the correct way to deal with dissent.
Why not try a simpler solution - IGNORE. Don't watch stuff that offends you.
The present govt. can block the film to apease its muslim vote bank . Now more and more Indian will like to see the film and will try to find out what is wrong in the film .
Why banned in India only? Why was it not removed altogether? Try uploading a pro-nazzi video on youtube and do you think it will be banned only in Germany? or will Google wait for a court order before doing so?
Wow, congress govt really has no backbone. freedom of speech people. our country is based on freedom, bunch of people cannot hold us hostage.
Sorry ET, We are not in Libya. Just accessed it from Bangalore. Stop giving out wrong data.
no. its still on.
I just checked, its available in Delhi....