The writer is Web Editor of The Express Tribune and tweets @Jhaque
jahanzaib.haque@tribune.com.pk
I hold out no hope from the new government in this case.
It is clear that in a country as fragmented along the lines of “haves” versus the “have-nots”, “extremists” versus “the rest”, the ban on YouTube and possibly all of Google, in the near future, is the pragmatic (read: easy) stance to take.
Placate dangerous, religion-intoxicated extremists like Mumtaz Qadri, who are able to act thanks to the high-level of extremism in the average Pakistani, and let the small number of middle class, upper-middle class and elite, who are blessed enough to have access to the internet, suffer. The latter is far less organised and far less likely to start gunning down people in the streets over internet censorship.
Appealing to the government is also a lost cause because those in power benefit greatly from a ban on the internet, which they perceive to be a (quite real) threat.
Additionally, our Constitution is flawed and utterly inadequate when it comes to discussing the web; our media men and judiciary are, by and large, too old, unaware of and/or outright alienated from the online space to truly understand the issue.
Instead, I think, the YouTube ban should be proactively dealt with by Google, which should listen to the plea of ordinary citizens of Pakistan who are its customers, take a principled stand and refuse to negotiate with the government until it stops trampling over the rights of its citizens. Or to coin a childish catchphrase that fits this ridiculous situation — Google should ban Pakistan.
If I’m going to lose my Google products one by one anyway, I’d rather have it done with Google openly refusing to participate in the denial of my basic right to access information on YouTube or through search, rather than have the government place new bans every few months, or worse, Google agreeing to allow me limited access to its products/services.
Facebook has already bowed down to such pressure in the past and my access to some pages and groups is blocked because I am a Pakistani browsing from within the country.
I consider this a sign that Facebook has a sadly regressive streak in its management. To agree to set up such censorship in order to avoid being banned in Pakistan is akin to siding with the extremism and backward thinking that has this nation in its grips. That is not a helpful decision aimed at enhancing democracy — it is an extension of mob rule and a violation of human rights.
Where is my unlike button?
Where is my “If you are a Pakistani citizen but wish to opt out of this blockage, click here” button?
So, stay strong Google. You will not have much support in Pakistan, but your stand will be the right one. As a citizen of this world first, Pakistan second, do not limit my access to YouTube to secure a short-term solution to the ban.
Instead, ban Pakistan till the nation grows up.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 13th, 2013.
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COMMENTS (51)
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this is not a big issue,, ban google and try to develop ur own search engine as other countries do. china have baidu and youku instead of google and youtube. 65% chineses use baidu and 95% use youku.chinese also have their own social networking website,and yeah russia also.
Its a shame that despite being the owner of world's only Islamic Bomb, we can't make our own Islamic Google. Why do we have do depend on American google?
@author
Coming from you, this is quite rich considering the pathetic and capricious censorship policy that your newspaper follows with regard to comments.
@Curious and Furious:
Dude, no one is asking to ban Google--they are asking to remove balsphemous material. Your litany turns into:
Lets ban hammers with no handles Lets ban cars that have no breaks Lets ban mobile phones without registered sims Lets ban knives not suitable for kitchens Lets ban money gotten from ill gains Lets ban papers printing child pornography Lets ban books inciting violence Lets ban pens that have hidden pistols embedded in them Lets ban cleaning agents that do not have a clear warning lable Lets ban petrol in Jerry cans used to make petrol bombs Lets ban polio. That we should Lets ban freedom to maim, hurt, kill others Lets ban life of parasite, ignorant, pathetic, reflexive idiots who are there to do more harm than good.
@Alam: Couldn't agree with you more!
Lets ban hammers, some people use them as a tool to harm others, Lets ban cars, some people use them to attempt robberies, Lets ban mobile phones, some people use them to harass others, Lets ban knives, some people use them to stab their fellow beings, Lets ban money, some people use it to fund questionable activities, Lets ban papers, some people use them to write death threats these days, Lets ban books, some of them are filled with 'un- Islamic' text, Lets ban pens, for they are sometimes used in religious (or non religious) activities, Lets ban cleaning agents, for they can be used in the manufacture of explosives, Lets ban petrol, having been used in many instances of arson, Lets ban polio, for its campaign was the garb of Osama hunt operation, Lets ban freedom, for one's freedom is the other's intolerance, Lets ban life........
My heart weeps and bleeds profusely at the state that we as a nation has evolved in....
And ET, please publish my comment this time...
@Gp65:
I wouldn't give too much weight to "official government" figures for Pakistan's GDP which is manufactured by Statistics Division of some ministry. If we exclude remittances by expatriate Pakistanis as a source of income crediting our foreign balances and foreign aid including loans as well, then the official figures suddenly start looking deflated.
If the GDP is so high, why is there tax revenue so low ?
For every genius out there saying that life will go on even if Google is banned, as it went on after YouTube was banned, is ignorant of the real issue. Dears’ life will go on with just a few grams of pulses and few liters of water per day, but I am not arguing that, that is only what you are entitled to. Life includes much more than simple existence, the debate is about the quality of life and one’s freedom, limitation of which can only be justified if ones action are actually harmful to someone else, and here harm does not mean the hurt experienced due to some over inflated sensitivity to one’s image or ideals. What you people are arguing is an extremely dangerous, for it will justify any kind of limitation to an individual’s right, just because life could go on without it. This basically means that all those movement for better political representation (better democracy), better and more jobs, better electricity, better health care, better education, etc. are just examples of stupid whining, since life does go on without, even, these amenities. People want to watch YouTube videos and unless watching those videos is physically and economically harming others, there is no justification for banning YouTube. This is not whining, this is a demand for the society to respect an individual’s right.
@Yasin
The most original idea I have come across in about 30 years of my adult life.
One additional benefit that will result from such an arrangment is that the west and india will have no excuse to accuse Pakistan of exporting terror to the rest of the world. The only thing that worries me is that if such a proposal is placed before the commity of nations, they might readily agree to it with immediate effect.
Google shouldn't do that . Because If Google does that now, then Pakistan will reach medieval age the day after . Not only Pakistan , every country needs Google . Without Google , World's economy will shrink by 2 % , a report says.
It's not a question of Google banning Pakistan. Pakistan should ban Google and much more. Pakistan should ban the whole world. I reached at this conclusion after taking a long and hard look at the doctrine of 'purity'. We must do everything to keep our nation pure from the influence of those vile thoughts and ideologies that seep through the internet and other electronic media. It also come through foreign books, music etc. Then there are people who visit western countries and come back with these decadent cultures to our country. Ocassional foreign visitors play their part in poluting the scene as well. Complete ban/blockade of the outside world is the only solution. Nobody and nothing goes out, nobody and nothing comes in.
@Mj
Thanks for two great quotes.
No need to ban anything sir, with 20 hours power cut, we banned even bathing and brushing, the country has already reached the stone age.
I dont understand why so upset about you tube, is that the end of the world, and by the way can you Mr j.h show me a few positive and productive things downloaded or uploaded from Pakistan on you tube. it happens govts have to protect their own interests and the interests of the people. no I think govt should go further and put a ban on selective words searches as well. and please dont give me example like ban text books etc. to me it is the matter of first deserve then desire. we all must first try to correct the mental status of our nation. which is really not a nation at present but a bunch of people living together which also not by choice. Please, the least you can do is read to Mr Hassan Nissar columns or tv shows so you know where mentally you stand today. if allah has given you a power to write, write on the character of nation, for it correctness, forget about you tube, please research on what I said above that what is being watched and uploaded. from pakistan if only 20% is a positive material, please get back to me other wise concentrate on the character building of the people of pakistan.
@ Gul You have access to youtube and you need it all the time and this make you think that you have got brain cells? ch ch,,,I am inclined to think otherwise. You see this is the problem with us, always making compromises. If you were too serve pork with halal chicken in the same pot, would you eat it?
@Zulfiqar Baig: Google losing business because of Pakistan banning it. I am assuming this is your attempt at sarcasm because if you are serious, that is the most hilarious comment I have heard in a long while.
To put things into perspective, Google's annual revenues are higher than Pakistan's GDP. Look it up if you don't believe me. So a company of 20000 or 30000 employees is producing more in monetary terms than a country of 180 million. Do you see the light about how insignificant Pakistan is on global scale ? If it weren't for Afghanistan/Taliban/Al Qaeda nexus, nobody would be paying any attention to us and rightly so.
There are other search engines available also. We should not regret. Business is Google loosing not us...
Why Ban Pakistan? Why not Ban US or UK? the writer is unaware of the internet spying that happens around the world and is blissfully oblivious to all of them. Its better not to give them access, rather than monitor them secretly without their consent or even the doubt of their involvement in wrongdoing.
Youtube is an excellent tool. Perhaps a better suggestion was to ban selective pages on youtube rather than the entire site. There is no unlike button, there is no right to free information anywhere on this planet. Please be realistic. If you are so ashamed, pack your bag take the highway. Be positive. Add to this nation instead of making claims here and there.
People here who are suggesting "youtube was waste of time anyway".. Clearly has only been watching funny cats on youtube. If you duck headed people can't find anything useful in millions of videos then it does not mean that others should be denied access to it as well. Grow few brain cells people.. I have access to YouTube and I don't hunt / look for blasphemous material. Its as simple as that, don't watch things, you don't like.
Was this piece written before or after PRISM and Edward Snowden? Kind of puts your whole human rights rant into perspective doesn't it?
"and let the small number of middle class, upper-middle class and elite, who are blessed enough to have access to the internet, suffer."
If this is the gist of your argument, then it fails completely, since all those 'suffering' people also have access to proxies.
If it was on principle, then the PRISM program makes that approach fail.
"So, stay strong Google."
When you search "tiananmen square" in China no pictures with tanks show up. Google isnt so different from the rest of us.
@Arain:
Okay...then why ban only Google or Youtube? Go for banning the electronics/computers which are the platforms for running these websites. Oh no, but wait, ban electricity which is the root of all evil in this. Now, CLEARLY it wouldn't END life as well ?!
@Mj: Because thats how societies function. By taking care not to hurt other peoples sensibilities.... obviously there is a fine line, but lets not pretend that there is no case for censorship!
@ArXhaD: "and has not taken any measure to curtail blasphemesy. Of course PTA must block such stuff and Information flow to the nations shall not be interrupted at all……………….but never at the cost of blaspheme . But Google must understand and sense its responsibility as well." .
Only people deserve protection. Ideas can stand or fall on their own merit.
“If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” - George Orwell
"The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or content, freedom of thought becomes impossible." - Salman Rushdie
@Name is Khan:
Why should the sane people suffer for your overblown sensibilities?
I consider this article as a piece of whining. The world did not started with youtube and is not going to end with it. As a 30 year old who has seen both sides of sphere, I can honestly say that to have youtube is equal to not having it. There are other means of getting information. If google admin cant avoid religious abuse happening, we should ban entire google apps.
@Arain: "I don't like it so it's OK for everyone to not have it".
strong text“ To agree to set up such censorship in order to avoid being banned in Pakistan is akin to siding with the extremism and backward thinking that has this nation in its grips." hypocrisy at its best. don't newspapers, including the one you work for, censor stories that are likely to inflame the public? isn't that akin to "siding with the extremism and backward thinking that has this nation in its grips"?
Uf, it's terrible when smart people "give up" on Pakistan. To remind everyone why not to do is important:
"In general, the men of lower intelligence won out. Afraid of their own shortcomings and of the intelligence of their opponents, so that they would not lose out in reasoned argument or be taken by surprise by their quick-witted opponents, they boldly moved into action. Their enemies, on the contrary, contemptuous and confident in their ability to anticipate, thought there was no need to take by action what they could win by their brains." - Thucydides - 460Bc-400BC
Civil society needs to engage with government to work this ban issue out. The fact that it hasn't been worked out is a failure on the part of civil society as much as government.
@ Jahanzaib Haque,,,,,,,, you know the reason of BAN on YouTube.........? Address that tooooooo. Do you know Google itself has violated its Disclaimer/terms and conditions....... and has not taken any measure to curtail blasphemesy. Of course PTA must block such stuff and Information flow to the nations shall not be interrupted at all……………….but never at the cost of blaspheme . But Google must understand and sense its responsibility as well.
@gp65: Yes, but be very careful what you're searching... Google has given access to their servers to the NSA!
"Google, ...... take a principled stand and refuse to negotiate with the government until it stops trampling over the rights of its citizens". If google went by this rule, it will have to ban a number of countries, including US
The authors childish understanding of the issues is shocking. For one, there is no such thing as absolutely freedom... anywhere! All governments censor, the western ones much more so than anyone here realises! The fact that the pakistani government requests the removal of sensitive material is not outlandish in the least. One may argue over which item exactly should be removed and which one shouldnt, but to claim that the government is acting ridiculously solely by presenting their request is just stupid. Furthermore, maybe the "web editor" needs to spend a little more time following the news on the internet. If he had done so, he would know that principles and Google dont really go hand in hand. Google has been caught, quite obviously, colluding with US intelligence agencies aiding them in spying on their users. Maybe there should be a piece on the fact that Google and co. have been involved in making Pakistani citizens the second most spied on people in the world! Not to mention the cases of Google's tax-evasion in the UK and their "accidental" tapping of people's WiFi data via their streetview cars. While I, too, find the Youtube ban highly inconvenient, painting Google as some moral crusader is misleading to say the least. Also, if you think the internet is unregulated elsewhere, and that anybody can say or do anything on it without consequence, you really start reading up a little bit!
Few families which have been ruling this country would not like a common citizen to get the access to information. That is the reason we had only one TV channel for decades. It seems they have learned to buy the electronic media strings and to control online/social media, they are now using the same weapon of religious blackmailing. And the poor citizens would blindly prefer the typewriters without realizing the depths of web/online options. I think people should remember that such leaders/clerics declared Fatwas against aeroplanes and other medical innovations. It seems the ban on the youtube worked really well for these families especially in the elections 2013.
@Haris Chaudhry: Not possible brother!!
@Arain:
If Google Corp is unable to comply with the standards and ways of our country, and local norms, then by all means they should be banned. Dont know what the fuss is about.
Are your fellow citizens aware of the 'Standards,ways and local norms'?
If, yes, then why can't they stay on pages that are in keeping with your 'Standards, ways and local norms'?
To put it simply, Will you call a ban on all Google search on monogamy, for being inconsistent with 'local norms'?
why don't we put some anti-semitic stuff on lets say youtube and lets see whether that gets banned or not? the writer needs to see the bigger picture, google can not get away with banning some stuff because it 'hurts' the feelings of jews and at the same time not not ban anything which is offensive to muslims and borders on hate-speech.
@Arain ... Clearly you have no clue what freedom of information means?
Ban Google!!. My dear, Google is already banned by Pakistani's themselves. Read this paper and see the comments made by most Pakistanis who are still holding on to their distorted history again and again without using Google search to find the true version of the events.
Not just google, the world at-large should ban Pakistan ! Only when we become irrelevant to the world and the world still functions perfectly well, would we realise that we are not the centre of attention in the world rather just a nuisance value for the civilised world!
Well argued Jahanzaib.
Believe it or Not, life Did NOT end with Youtube banned. And it wont if Google is banned too.
Do you realize that no one really cares about it? And that this article sounds insensible? And truly, it isnt one bit interesting. If Google Corp is unable to comply with the standards and ways of our country, and local norms, then by all means they should be banned. Dont know what the fuss is about. There Are other search engines in WWW too y'know. Stop being so dependent on tech. Like lame people are complaining that Youtube got banned. Come on. Everybody knows that Youtube was only good for watching a bunch of music and funny vids. Life goes on even after it was banned. Nothing changed! People could still get important, worthy videos from other sites. In fact, they might even end up wasting lesser time of their lives (I know I did). Please stop making a fuss out of every little thing and criticizing where criticism isnt deserved. There Are other much much more important issues at hand that need highlighting. Internet trolls have been crying about Youtube for half an year and its getting lame now....
"Instead, ban Pakistan till the nation grows up." Very well said, I agree 100%. Internet is a great tool for the entire humanity should they decide to use it. Like the wind, clouds, perfume and ideas we cannot control and contain Internet just because some don’t like everything in it. If we continue on this path then we would have to put a ban on medical books and medical education in coed. Like any tool or a weapon the use of Internet is in our hand and we could use it or abuse it but what we cannot do is restrict is and blame the others. Thanks for showing the courage and standing up for your rights.
Ban Google and go for Baidu.