Censorship of YouTube
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video-sharing An online video platform (OVP), provided by a video hosting service, enables users to upload, convert, store and play back video content on the Internet, often via a structured, large-scale system that may generate revenue. Users will generally u ...
platform
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
is the second-most popular website as of August 2019, according to
Alexa Internet Alexa Internet, Inc. was an American web traffic analysis company based in San Francisco. It was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon. Alexa was founded as an independent company in 1996 and acquired by Amazon in 1999 for $250 million in stock. ...
. According to the company's press page, YouTube has more than one billion users, and each day, those users watch more than one billion hours of video.
Censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...
of it has occurred and continues to occur to varying degrees in most countries throughout the world.


General

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
blocking occurs for a variety of reasons including:"YouTube Censored: A Recent History"
, Open Net Initiative. Retrieved September 23, 2012
* Preventing criticism of a ruler, government, government officials, religion, or religious leaders; * Preventing videos promoting
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...
; * Violations of national laws, including: **
Copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
and
intellectual property Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
protection laws; ** Violations of
hate speech Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...
, ethics, or morality-based laws; **
National security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...
legislation. * Preventing access to videos judged to be inappropriate for youth; * Businesses, schools, government agencies, and other private institutions often block social media sites, including YouTube, due to bandwidth limitations and the site's potential for distraction. In some countries YouTube is completely blocked, either through a long-term standing ban or for more limited periods of time such as during periods of unrest, the run-up to an election, or in response to upcoming political anniversaries. In other countries, access to the website as a whole remains open, but access to specific videos is blocked due to many reasons including orders from country jurisdiction. In both cases, a
VPN A virtual private network (VPN) extends a private network across a public network and enables users to send and receive data across shared or public networks as if their computing devices were directly connected to the private network. The be ...
is usually deployed to bypass geographical restrictions. In cases where the entire site is banned due to one particular video, YouTube will often agree to remove or limit access to that video in order to restore service. As of September 2012, countries with standing national bans on YouTube include
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, and
Turkmenistan Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
. Due to disputes between GEMA and YouTube over royalties, many videos featuring copyrighted songs were inaccessible in
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. After an agreement was made between the companies in November 2016, these videos became accessible. YouTube's Terms of Service prohibit the posting of videos which violate
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
s or depict pornography, promoting racism, illegal acts, gratuitous violence, or
hate speech Hate speech is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as race, religion, sex, or sexual orientation". Hate speech is "usually thoug ...
. User-posted videos that violate such terms may be removed and replaced with a message stating: "This video is no longer available because its content violated YouTube's Terms of Service". Additionally, Google reserves the right to terminate any account for any reason, with or without notice. YouTube offers an opt-in feature known as "Restricted Mode", which filters videos that might contain mature content.


Countries where access to YouTube had been blocked before


Afghanistan

On September 12, 2012, YouTube was blocked in Afghanistan due to hosting the trailer to the controversial film about
Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد;  570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
, ''
Innocence of Muslims ''Innocence of Muslims'' is an anti-Islamic short film that was written and produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Two versions of the 14-minute video were uploaded to YouTube in July 2012, under the titles "The Real Life of Muhammad" and "Muham ...
'', which the authorities considered to be blasphemous. YouTube was later unblocked in Afghanistan on December 1, 2012.


Armenia

Following the disputed February 2008 presidential elections, the
Armenian government The politics of Armenia take place in the framework of the parliamentary representative democratic republic of Armenia, whereby the President of Armenia is the head of state and the Prime Minister of Armenia the head of government, and of a mult ...
blocked Internet users' access to YouTube for a month. The
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
n opposition had used the website to publicize video of alleged
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
against anti-government protesters.


Bangladesh

In March 2009, YouTube was blocked in
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
after a recording of an alleged meeting between the
prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
and army officers was posted revealing anger by the military on how the government was handling a mutiny by border guards in
Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...
. The block was lifted on March 21. On September 17, 2012, YouTube was banned for the second time following the controversies regarding the promotional videos for ''Innocence of Muslims''. On June 5, 2013, the
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ টেলিযোগাযোগ নিয়ন্ত্রণ কমিশন) is an independent commission founded under the Bangladesh Telecommunic ...
lifted the ban.


Brazil

In January 2007, YouTube was sued by
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
ian model and
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
VJ
Daniella Cicarelli Daniella Cicarelli Lemos (born 6 November 1978) is a Brazilian former model and TV show hostess for MTV Brasil's '' Beija Sapo''. She was engaged to Brazilian footballer Ronaldo for three months in 2005. Biography Cicarelli was born in Belo H ...
(the ex-fiancée of
football player A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
Ronaldo Ronaldo is a Portuguese given name equivalent to the English Ronald. It became a common name in all Portuguese-speaking countries, being also prevalent in Italy and Spanish-speaking countries. People Notable people known as Ronaldo include: As ...
) and her boyfriend due to the fact that the website hosted a video recorded
paparazzi Paparazzi (, ; ; singular: masculine paparazzo or feminine paparazza) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people; such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities, typically while subjects ...
in which she and her boyfriend were having sexual intercourse on a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shel ...
; the video did not contain explicit content. The lawsuit asked that YouTube will be blocked in
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
until all copies of the video were removed. On Saturday, January 6, 2007, a legal injunction ordered that filters be put in place to prevent users in Brazil from accessing the website. The effectiveness of the measure was questioned, since the video was available not only on YouTube, but also on other sites as part of an
Internet phenomenon An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
. On Tuesday, January 9, 2007, the same court overturned its previous decision, allowing the filters to be removed. The video footage itself remained banned and was to be removed from the website. In June 2007, a judge ordered Cicarelli and her boyfriend to pay all court and lawyer costs, as well as R$10,000 (roughly
US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...
3,203) to the three defendants—YouTube,
Globo Globo (meaning ''globe'' in Portuguese, Spanish and Italian) may refer to: *Grupo Globo, a Brazilian conglomerate primarily in mass media **TV Globo, a television network ***GloboNews, a television 24-hour news channel ***Globo (Portuguese TV cha ...
, and iG, citing a lack of good faith in pushing the privacy case when their actions took place in public.


Denmark

Access to music on YouTube was blocked in July 2020, following a dispute between YouTube and the rights society
KODA KODA (99.1 FM, "Sunny 99.1") is an American commercial adult contemporary-formatted radio station in Houston, Texas. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios and offices are located along the West Loop Freeway in Uptown Houston. KODA ...
over royalty fees. On October 1, 2020, YouTube and Polaris Nordic (which represents KODA, Sweden's
STIM STIM, ''Svenska Tonsättares Internationella Musikbyrå'' (Swedish Performing Rights Society), is a Swedish collecting society for songwriters, composers and music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distribu ...
, and Norway's
TONO TONO is a Norwegian corporation that administers copyrights for music in Norway. It is owned and governed by its members; composers, music publishers and text-writers. Through the managing agreement the originators give TONO an exclusive right to ...
) signed a new contract, bringing music by Danish songwriters back onto the website.


Finland

On November 30, 2017, most YouTube videos containing music seemed to be blocked by Finnish nonprofit performance rights organization
Teosto Teosto (Finnish: Säveltäjäin Tekijänoikeustoimisto Teosto r.y.) is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers in Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially ...
in Finland. According to them,
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
blocked the videos because they did not have an agreement to show music videos in
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
. According to
Teosto Teosto (Finnish: Säveltäjäin Tekijänoikeustoimisto Teosto r.y.) is a non-profit performance rights organization that collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and composers in Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially ...
, they and Google have made a temporary agreement to show the videos in the morning of November 30. The music videos started to return to YouTube in Finland later that day.


Germany

; Blocking of YouTube videos in 2009 until 2016 The blocking of YouTube videos in Germany on copyright grounds was part of a dispute between YouTube and the ''Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte'' (Society for Musical Performing and Mechanical Reproduction Rights – GEMA), a performance rights organization in Germany. According to a German court in Hamburg,
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
's subsidiary YouTube can be held liable for damages when it hosts copyrighted videos without the copyright holder's permission. As a result, music videos for
major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
artists on YouTube, as well as many videos containing background music, were unavailable in Germany since the end of March 2009 after the previous agreement had expired and negotiations for a new license agreement were stopped. On October 31, 2016, YouTube and GEMA reached an agreement over royalties, ending a seven-year-long battle of blocking music videos in Germany. ; Live streaming in 2016 On November 23, 2016, the German ''Kommission für Zulassung und Aufsicht'' (Commission for Authorization and Supervision), which is formed by representatives of German public broadcast stations, required ''PietSmiet & Co.'', a German let's-player operating his own
YouTube channel YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most v ...
to get a German
broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary ...
by April 30, 2017, or else be regarded as an illegal
pirate radio Pirate radio or a pirate radio station is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are received—especially w ...
broadcaster for
livestreaming Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
, even when no
radio spectrum The radio spectrum is the part of the electromagnetic spectrum with frequencies from 0  Hz to 3,000 GHz (3  THz). Electromagnetic waves in this frequency range, called radio waves, are widely used in modern technology, particula ...
use is included. Some YouTubers, even non profit, might fail at the expensive fee for applying a license. On April 30, 2017, the livestreaming channel ''PietSmietTV'' went offline. The channel ''PietSmiet'' remained online due not providing 24/7 streaming. The channel was mentioned in a requirement of a license. ; Pending parliamentary resolution in 2019 The Article 17 of the
Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market The Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market, formally the Directive (EU) 2019/790 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on copyright and related rights in the Digital Single Market and amending Directives 96 ...
is feared and criticized as censorship, mandatory for all countries of the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
within two years if adopted.


Indonesia

On April 1, 2008,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
n information minister Muhammad Nuh asked YouTube to remove '' Fitna'', a controversial film made by Dutch right-wing politician
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
. The government allowed two days for the removal of the video or YouTube would be blocked in the country. On April 4, following YouTube's failure to remove the video, Nuh asked all
Internet service provider An Internet service provider (ISP) is an organization that provides services for accessing, using, or participating in the Internet. ISPs can be organized in various forms, such as commercial, community-owned, non-profit, or otherwise private ...
s to block access to YouTube. On April 5, YouTube was briefly blocked for testing by one ISP. On April 8, YouTube, along with MySpace,
Metacafe Metacafe was an Israeli Video hosting service, video-sharing website, launched in July 2003. During the mid-2000s, it was one of the largest video-sharing websites, though eventually began to be superseded by YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion. In Aug ...
,
RapidShare RapidShare was an online file hosting service that opened in 2002. In 2009, it was among the Internet's 20 most visited websites and claimed to have 10 petabytes of files uploaded by users with the ability to handle up to three million users sim ...
,
Multiply Multiplication (often denoted by the cross symbol , by the mid-line dot operator , by juxtaposition, or, on computers, by an asterisk ) is one of the four elementary mathematical operations of arithmetic, with the other ones being additi ...
, LiveLeak, and ''Fitna''s official site, were blocked in Indonesia on all ISPs. The blocking of YouTube was subsequently lifted on April 10. There may still have been some blocking in May 2008 according to local inhabitants.


Libya

On January 24, 2010,
Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...
permanently blocked YouTube after it featured videos of demonstrations in the Libyan city of
Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη (''Berenice'') and ''Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Ghazi ...
by families of detainees who were killed in
Abu Salim prison Abu Salim prison ( ar, سجن أبو سليم) is a maximum security prison in Tripoli, Libya. The prison was notorious during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi for alleged mistreatment and human rights abuses, including a massacre in 1996 in which H ...
in 1996, as well as videos of family members of Libyan leader
Muammar al-Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...
at parties. The ban was condemned by
Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization, headquartered in New York City, that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. The group pressures governments, policy makers, companies, and individual human r ...
. In November 2011, after the
Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...
, YouTube was once again allowed in Libya, but did not launch a local version of the site until early 2015.


Malaysia

In May 2013, videos critical of the Malaysian government were blocked from YouTube in Malaysia despite the government's promises not to censor the internet. Analysis of the network traffic shows that the ISPs were scanning the headers of the users and actively blocking requests to the YouTube video according to the video key.


Morocco

On May 25, 2007, the state-owned
Maroc Telecom Maroc Telecom (Acronym: IAM, ar, اتصالات المغرب) is the main telecommunications company in Morocco. Currently employing around 11,178 employees, it is the largest telecommunications network in the country with 8 regional delegations ...
ISP blocked all access to YouTube. Officially, no reasons were given as to why YouTube was blocked, but speculations were that it may have been due to videos posted by the pro-separatist Polisario,
Western Sahara Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...
's independence movement, or due to videos criticizing
King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد الساد ...
. The ban did not affect the other two ISPs in the country,
Wana MENA, an acronym in the English language, refers to a grouping of countries situated in and around the Middle East and North Africa. It is also known as WANA, SWANA, or NAWA, which alternatively refers to the Middle East as Western Asia (or a ...
(now Inwi) and
Méditel Orange Maroc (or previously Médi Télécom or Méditel) is one of three major licensed telecommunications operators in Morocco. The multi-service operator offers mobile, fixed-line, cybersecurity and mobile payment offerings. Created in 1999, ...
(now Orange Maroc). The blocking of YouTube on Maroc Telecom was lifted May 30, 2007, after Maroc Telecom unofficially announced that the denied access to the website was a mere "technical glitch".


Pakistan

In February 2008, the Pakistani Telecommunications Authority (PTA) blocked access to YouTube on Pakistani ISPs, allegedly because of "blasphemous" videos of Dutch politician
Geert Wilders Geert Wilders (; born 6 September 1963) is a Dutch politician who has led the Party for Freedom (''Partij voor de Vrijheid'' – PVV) since he founded it in 2006. He is also the party's leader in the House of Representatives (''Tweede Kamer'' ...
. However, the PTA's block inadvertently knocked out access to YouTube worldwide for two hours on February 25, 2008. Pakistan Telecom had broadcast to other ISPs in the Pacific Rim the false claim that it was the correct route for the addresses in YouTube's IP space. It was suggested by some Pakistani websites, blogs, and by electoral process watchdog groups at the time that the block was imposed largely to distract viewers from videos alleging vote-rigging by the ruling MQM party in the February 2008 general elections."Access to YouTube blocked until further notice because of "non-Islamic" videos"
,
Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...
, February 27, 2008.
Allegations of suppressing vote-rigging videos by the
Musharraf General Pervez Musharraf ( ur, , Parvez Muśharraf; born 11 August 1943) is a former Pakistani politician and four-star general of the Pakistan Army who became the tenth president of Pakistan after the successful military takeover of the ...
administration were also leveled by Pakistani bloggers, newspapers, media, and Pakistani anti-Musharraf opposition parties. YouTube was unblocked on February 27, 2008, after the allegedly blasphemous videos were removed. On May 20, 2010, which was
Everybody Draw Mohammed Day Everybody Draw Mohammed Day (or Draw Mohammed Day) was a 2010 event in support of artists threatened with violence for drawing representations of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It stemmed from a protest against censorship of the American telev ...
, Pakistan again blocked the website in a bid to contain "blasphemous" material. The ban was lifted on May 27, 2010, after the website removed the objectionable content from its servers at the request of the government. However, individual videos deemed offensive to Muslims that are posted on YouTube will continue to be blocked. On September 17, 2012, the
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ( ur, ) is the telecommunication regulator of Pakistan, responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and the provision of telecommunication services in ...
(PTA) ordered access to YouTube blocked, after the website failed to remove the trailer of the controversial ''
Innocence of Muslims ''Innocence of Muslims'' is an anti-Islamic short film that was written and produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Two versions of the 14-minute video were uploaded to YouTube in July 2012, under the titles "The Real Life of Muhammad" and "Muham ...
'', and eventually resulting in a ban due to YouTube's noncompliance."YouTube blocked in Pakistan"
, Hayley Tsukayama, ''The Washington Post'', September 17, 2012
Bytes for All, a Pakistani non-profit organization, filed a constitutional challenge to the ban through their counsel Yasser Latif Hamdani in the Lahore High Court. This is an ongoing case and is commonly known as the YouTube case. On December 11, 2013, it was announced by the
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ( ur, ) is the telecommunication regulator of Pakistan, responsible for the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication systems and the provision of telecommunication services in ...
that they had convinced Google's management to offer a local "https://www.youtube.com.pk" version to Pakistan, as it would be easy for the local authorities to remove "objectionable" material from a local version as compared to the global version of YouTube. However, it would only be offered after the Pakistani government fulfilled some of the undisclosed requirements."Viral music video fights Pakistan's YouTube ban – BBC News"
(video), Adil Omar, ''BBC News'' via YouTube, March 12, 2014.
During the ban a video was released called "Kholo BC" by rappers
Adil Omar Adil Omar (born 17 May 1991) is a recording artist, rapper, record producer, singer and songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He released his debut album and film, '' Transcendence'', on 8 July 2018. In addition to being a solo artist, he is also ...
and
Ali Gul Pir Ali Gul Pir ( ur, علی گل پیر; born 14 February 1986) is a Pakistani rapper, television and voice actor, Brand ambassador and stand-up comedian. He achieved popularity with his first single, "Waderai Ka Beta", a comedy song about politica ...
opposing the ban. The video went viral and thousands of people supported that the ban is due to political interest. On April 21, 2014, Pakistan's Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights approved a resolution to lift the ban on YouTube. On May 6, 2014, the National Assembly unanimously adopted a non-binding resolution to lift the ban, but as of August 2, 2014 it was still in effect. The ban was lifted due to a technical glitch on December 6, 2015, according to ISPs in Pakistan. As of January 18, 2016, the ban has been officially lifted, as YouTube has launched a local version of the site for Pakistan. On November 25, 2017, the
NetBlocks NetBlocks is a watchdog organization that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet. The service was launched in 2017 to monitor Internet freedom. Work Projects NetBlocks publishes original reporting on Internet governance ...
internet measurement platform and
Digital Rights Foundation Nighat Dad ( ur, ; born ) is a Pakistani lawyer and Internet activist who runs the not-for-profit organisation Digital Rights Foundation. Her work in the field of IT security has earned her many international awards. Early life and education D ...
collected evidence of nationwide blocking of YouTube alongside other social media services, imposed by the government in response to the violent Tehreek-e-Labaik protests. The technical investigation found that many, but not all, major Pakistani fixed-line and mobile service providers implemented the YouTube restriction which was lifted by the PTA the following day when protests abated after the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice
Zahid Hamid Zahid Hamid (; born 24 October 1947) is a Pakistani politician, and lawyer. A member of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Hamid previously served as the Minister for Law and Justice and Minister of Climate Change in the Third Sharif ministry b ...
.


Russia

The video claiming responsibility for the
2010 Moscow Metro bombings The 2010 Moscow Metro bombings were suicide bombings carried out by two Islamic female terrorists during the morning rush hour of March 29, 2010, at two stations of the Moscow Metro ( Lubyanka and Park Kultury), with roughly 40 minutes in betw ...
, which quickly gained 800,000 views in four days, was removed, along with all videos of
Doku Umarov Doku Khamatovich Umarov ( ce, Ӏумар Хьамади кӀант Докка, translit='Umar Ẋamadi khant Dokka, ; russian: Доку Хаматович Умаров, Doku Khamatovich Umarov; 13 April 1964 – 7 September 2013), also known as ...
. Additionally, it turned out that over 300 videos from the
Kavkaz Center The Kavkaz Center (KC; russian: Кавказ-центр, Kavkaz-centr, lit=Caucasus Center) is a privately run website/portal which aims to be "a Chechen internet agency which is independent, international and Islamic". The stated mission of the s ...
were removed for having "inappropriate content." Russia was blamed for having pressured YouTube to take such measures. On July 28, 2010, a court in the city of
Komsomolsk-on-Amur Komsomolsk-on-Amur ( rus, Комсомольск-на-Амуре, r=Komsomolsk-na-Amure, p=kəmsɐˈmolʲsk nɐɐˈmurʲə) is a types of inhabited localities in Russia, city in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia, located on the west bank of the Amur Rive ...
ordered a local ISP to block access to youtube.com, web.archive.org, and several other websites offering books for downloads, citing extremist materials as the reason. The order was not enforced and was later reversed. YouTube is now available in Russia. On September 4, 2017,
Roskomnadzor The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN) (russian: Роскомнадзор КН, is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, co ...
announced their intention to delete a video released by a popular YouTube channel Nemagia in which bloggers Alexey Pskovitin and Mikhail Pecherskiy described unscrupulous business strategies by
Tinkoff Bank Tinkoff Bank (russian: Тинькофф банк), formerly Tinkoff Credit Systems (russian: Тинькофф Кредитные Системы) is a Russian commercial bank based in Moscow and founded by Oleg Tinkov in 2006. The bank does no ...
. In February 2019, as a result of a complaint received by Roskomnadzor, YouTube has demanded that the Ukrainian Centre for Journalist Investigations remove a video about
Emir-Usein Kuku Emir-Usein Kuku (, born 26 June 1976) is a Crimean Tatar human rights defender and member of the Crimean Human Rights Contact Group. In February 2016, he was arrested and charged by Russian authorities on the accusation that he was a member of t ...
, a Crimean Tatar human rights defender who has been arrested by Russian authorities in 2016. In September 2021, YouTube blocked two German-language channels run by a Russian state-backed media company RT stating they spread misinformation about
COVID-19 vaccine A COVID19 vaccine is a vaccine intended to provide acquired immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID19). Prior to the COVID19 pandemic, an e ...
s. In return,
Roskomnadzor The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN) (russian: Роскомнадзор КН, is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, co ...
threatened to block the service in the country or fine Google unless the restrictions are lifted. In March 2022, YouTube started showing its users ads with calls to disable Russian railroad communications. As a result,
Roskomnadzor The Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology and Mass Media, abbreviated as ''Roskomnadzor'' (RKN) (russian: Роскомнадзор КН, is the Russian federal executive agency responsible for monitoring, co ...
contacted Google and demanded the company to stop the threats against Russia.


South Korea

At the request of the South Korean government, Google removed about 54,000 pieces of content. Not only that, but the government-critical videos that are difficult to delete are ruined by making them recommended to the area that has nothing to do with the video.


Sudan

The
Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese authorities blocked YouTube on April 21, 2010, following the 2010 presidential election, and also blocked YouTube's owner
Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
. The block was in response to a YouTube video appearing to show National Electoral Commission workers in official uniforms and a child in the Hamashkoreib region filling out voting strips and putting them into ballot boxes, with one of them expressing relief that the voting period had been extended for them to finish their work. Sudan had previously blocked YouTube temporarily in 2008 for unknown reasons. On September 17, 2012, YouTube was banned again by National Telecommunication Corporation for not removing ''Innocence of Muslims'', a controversial anti-Islamic film. However, the block was later lifted.


Syria

In multiple instances YouTube access was blocked in Syria by the Syrian government and blackouts caused by the Syrian civil war. YouTube has been blocked in August 2007 after videos were circulated denouncing the crackdown on the Kurd minority. In February 2011 Syria lifted their block of YouTube and other social media services.


Tajikistan

In July 2012, the Tajik authorities blocked YouTube in response to uploaded videos showing protests against militant clashes. Eight days later, the ban was lifted. In the same year, the Tajik government blocked the website again, this time because of videos depicting the president Emomali Rakhmon which were deemed to be offensive to the government. In 2013,
Tajikistan Tajikistan (, ; tg, Тоҷикистон, Tojikiston; russian: Таджикистан, Tadzhikistan), officially the Republic of Tajikistan ( tg, Ҷумҳурии Тоҷикистон, Jumhurii Tojikiston), is a landlocked country in Centr ...
blocked YouTube for a third time because of a video which depicts President Rakhmon dancing and singing out of tune at his son's wedding party in 2007. On June 9, 2014, YouTube briefly became inaccessible for an unknown reason. Beg Zuhurov, chief of Tajikistan's State Communications Service, claimed that this was due to "technical problems". On August 25, 2015, YouTube was once again blocked by certain ISPs following an order from the State Communications Service. The block was not lifted until mid-2017. On May 23, 2019, after the President of Tajikistan criticized the internet for "bolstering terrorism", Tajik authorities extended the blockages of all Google resources, including YouTube. However, the ban was later lifted.


Thailand

In 2006, Thailand blocked access to YouTube for users with Thai IP addresses. Thai authorities identified 20 offensive videos and demanded that Google remove them before it would allow unblocking of all YouTube content. During the week of March 8, 2007, YouTube was blocked in
Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. Although no official explanation was given for the ban, many bloggers believed the reason for the blocking was a video of former Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra Thaksin Shinawatra ( th, ทักษิณ ชินวัตร; ; ; Chinese: 丘達新; cnr, Taksin Šinavatra; born 26 July 1949), is a Thai businessman, politician and visiting professor. He served in the Thai Police from 1973 to 1987, a ...
's speech on
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...
. YouTube was unblocked on March 10, 2007. On the night of April 3, 2007, YouTube was again blocked in Thailand. The government cited a video on the site that it called "insulting" to King
Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; (Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Great ...
. However, the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology said that it would unblock YouTube in a few days, after websites containing references to this video are blocked as opposed to the entire website. Communications Minister
Sitthichai Pokai-udom Sitthichai Pokai-udom ( th, สิทธิชัย โภไคยอุดม, born 10 November 1948) is Thai inventor and politician. He was appointed as Minister of Ministry of Information and Communication Technology of Thailand in 2006 by a ...
said, "When they decide to withdraw the clip, we will withdraw the ban." Shortly after this incident the Internet technology blog
Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...
was blocked from Thailand over the reporting of the YouTube clips in question. YouTube was unblocked on August 30, 2007, after YouTube reportedly agreed to block videos deemed offensive by Thai authorities. On September 21, 2007, Thai authorities announced they were seeking a court order to block videos that had appeared on YouTube accusing Privy Council president
Prem Tinsulanonda Prem Tinsulanonda ( th, เปรม ติณสูลานนท์, , ; 26 August 1920 – 26 May 2019) was a Thai military officer, politician, and statesman who served as the Prime Minister of Thailand from 3 March 1980 to 4 August 1988, ...
of attempting to manipulate the royal succession to make himself Thailand's king.


Tunisia

YouTube was blocked in Tunisia for several years before the 2011
Tunisian Revolution The Tunisian Revolution, also called the Jasmine Revolution, was an intensive 28-day campaign of civil resistance. It included a series of street demonstrations which took place in Tunisia, and led to the ousting of longtime president Zine El ...
.


Turkey

Turkish courts have ordered blocks on access to the YouTube website. This first occurred when
Türk Telekom Türk Telekom is a state-owned Turkish telecommunications company. Türk Telekom was separated from Turkish Post (PTT) in 1995. Türk Telekom Group provides integrated telecommunication services for PSTN, GSM, and wide-band Internet. The Türk ...
blocked the site in compliance with decision 2007/384 issued by the Istanbul 1st Criminal Court of Peace (''Sulh Ceza Mahkeme'') on March 6, 2007. The court decision was based on videos insulting
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...
in an escalation of what the Turkish media referred to as a "virtual war" of insults between
Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Armenia Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
n, and
Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...
YouTube members. YouTube was sued for " insulting Turkishness" and access to the site was suspended pending the removal of the video. YouTube lawyers sent proof of the video's removal to the
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
public prosecutor and access was restored on March 9, 2007. However, other videos similarly deemed insulting were repeatedly posted, and several staggered bans followed, issued by different courts: * the Sivas 2nd Criminal Court of Peace on September 18, 2007, and again (by decision 2008/11) on January 16, 2008; * the Ankara 12th Criminal Court of Peace on January 17, 2008 (decision 2008/55); * the Ankara 1st Criminal Court of Peace on March 12, 2008 (decision 2008/251); * the Ankara 11th Criminal Court of Peace on April 24, 2008 (decision 2008/468). * the Ankara 5th Criminal Court of Peace on April 30, 2008 (decision 2008/599); * again, the Ankara 1st Criminal Court of Peace on May 5, 2008 (decision 2008/402); * again, the Ankara 11th Criminal Court of Peace on June 6, 2008 (decision 2008/624). * again, based on "administrative measures" without court order following corruption scandal, relating several governmental officials including Prime Minister Erdoğan on March 27, 2014, The block in accordance with court decision 2008/468 of the Ankara 11th Criminal Court of Peace issued on April 24, 2008, which cited that YouTube had not acquired a certificate of authorization in Turkey, was not implemented by Türk Telekom until May 5, 2008. Although YouTube was officially banned in Turkey, the website was still accessible by modifying connection parameters to use alternative
DNS The Domain Name System (DNS) is a hierarchical and distributed naming system for computers, services, and other resources in the Internet or other Internet Protocol (IP) networks. It associates various information with domain names assigned to ...
servers, and it was the eighth most popular website in Turkey according to
Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...
records. Responding to criticisms of the courts' bans, in November 2008 the Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...
stated "I do access the site. Go ahead and do the same." In June 2010, Turkey's president
Abdullah Gül Abdullah Gül (; ; born 29 October 1950) is a Turkish politician who served as the 11th President of Turkey, in office from 2007 to 2014. He previously served for four months as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2003, and concurrently served as both ...
used his
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
account to express disapproval of the country's blocking of YouTube, which also affected access from Turkey to many Google services. Gül said he had instructed officials to find legal ways of allowing access. Turkey lifted the ban on October 30, 2010. In November 2010, a video of the Turkish politician
Deniz Baykal Deniz Baykal (born 20 July 1938) is a Turkish politician at the Republican People's Party (Turkish: Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, abbreviated CHP) who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. Having served in ...
caused the site to be blocked again briefly, and the site was threatened with a new shutdown if it did not remove the video. On March 27, 2014, Turkey banned YouTube again. This time, they did so mere hours after a video was posted there claiming to depict Turkey's foreign minister, spy chief, and a top general discussing scenarios that could lead to their country's military attacking jihadist militants in
Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
. The ban was ordered to be lifted by a series of court rulings, starting April 9, 2014, but Turkey defied the court orders and kept access to YouTube blocked. On May 29 the
Constitutional Court of Turkey The Constitutional Court of Turkey ( tr, , sometimes abbreviated as ''AYM'') is the highest legal body for constitutional review in Turkey. It "examines the constitutionality, in respect of both form and substance, of laws, decrees having the for ...
ruled that the block violated the constitutional right to freedom of expression and ordered that YouTube access be restored. As of the morning of June 1, 2014, access to YouTube remained blocked in Turkey. But during the day, access appeared to have been restored. On April 6, 2015, YouTube was again briefly blocked, alongside Facebook and Twitter, due to the widespread posting of footage of a prosecutor killed during a hostage crisis. On December 23, 2016, YouTube again became briefly inaccessible in Turkey according to reports validated by internet monitoring group
Turkey Blocks Turkey Blocks (also known as TurkeyBlocks.org) is an independent digital research organization that monitors internet access restrictions and their relation to political incidents in Turkey. Using its network of monitoring probes, the project ha ...
after footage that allegedly showed the immolation of Turkish soldiers by jihadists was shared on the site. The site is now accessible again as of December 25.


United Arab Emirates

The
UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
's Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRA) briefly blocked YouTube from August 2006 to October 2006 due to increasing concerns regarding the presence of adult content in the website. According to the TRA, the block was done due to YouTube not categorizing and separating adult pornographic content from normal content. The ban was lifted in October 2006.


Uzbekistan

YouTube access in
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
has been heavily censored for an unknown reason since October 15, 2018.


Venezuela

During the
Venezuelan presidential crisis The Venezuelan presidential crisis is an ongoing political crisis concerning the leadership and the legitimate president of Venezuela; the office of the president has been contested since 10 January 2019, with the nation and the world divided ...
of 2019, YouTube has been heavily censored regularly by Venezuela's state-owned internet service provider,
CANTV CANTV () is the state-run telephone and internet service provider in Venezuela. It was one of the first telephone service enterprises in the country, founded in 1930. The largest telecommunications provider in Venezuela, it was privatized in 19 ...
. The blocking of YouTube and social media websites by the Venezuelan government were intended to suppress information relating to
Juan Guaidó Juan Gerardo Guaidó Márquez (born 28 July 1983) is a Venezuelan politician, a former member of the Social democracy, social-democratic Popular Will party, and federal deputy to the National Assembly (Venezuela), National Assembly representing ...
and the pro-opposition
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
. This mainly affects the access of streaming platforms like
Periscope A periscope is an instrument for observation over, around or through an object, obstacle or condition that prevents direct line-of-sight observation from an observer's current position. In its simplest form, it consists of an outer case with ...
, YouTube, Bing (search engine), Bing, and other Google services. On January 21, 2019, the day of a Venezuelan National Guard, Bolivarian National Guard rebellion in the Cotiza neighborhood of Caracas, internet access to some social media websites, including
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
was reported to be blocked for CANTV users. The Venezuelan government denied it had engaged in blocking. During the Venezuela Aid Live concert on February 22, access to YouTube was blocked for CANTV users during the concert, alongside National Geographic (TV network), National Geographic and Antena 3 (Spain), Antena 3 that were removed from cable and satellite TV for broadcasting the concert. Guaidó speech during the February 23 2019 shipping of humanitarian aid to Venezuela, entry of the humanitarian aid, YouTube was blocked. The longest block of YouTube to date started during a National Assembly session on March 6, lasting 20 hours. The YouTube live stream of the press conference of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Colombian President Iván Duque Márquez on April 15, 2019, was disrupted for CANTV users. The YouTube restrictions returned with the return of the protests on November 16.


Countries where access to YouTube is currently blocked


China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau)

YouTube was first blocked in China for over five months from October 16, 2007 to March 22, 2008. It was blocked again from March 24, 2009, although a Foreign Ministry spokesperson would neither confirm nor deny whether YouTube had been blocked. Since then, YouTube has been inaccessible from Mainland China. However, YouTube can still be accessed from Hong Kong, Macau, the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, specific hotels, and by using a VPN. Since 2018, when the term "YouTube" is searched on Baidu, the following message is displayed: "According to local regulations and policies, some results cannot be shown." Even though YouTube is blocked under the Great Firewall, many Chinese media outlets, including Central China Television, China Central Television (CCTV), have official YouTube accounts. In spite of the ban, Alexa ranks YouTube as the 5th most visited website in China.


Eritrea

YouTube has been intermittently blocked in Eritrea since 2011 by some ISPs, although a spokesperson for Freedom House speculated this was due to bandwidth considerations.


Iran

On December 3, 2006, Iran temporarily blocked access to YouTube and several other sites, after declaring them as violators of social and moral codes of conduct. The YouTube block came after a video was posted online that appeared to show an Iranian soap opera star having sex. The block was later lifted and then reinstated after Iranian presidential election, 2009, Iran's 2009 presidential election. In 2012, Iran reblocked access, along with access to Google, after the controversial film ''
Innocence of Muslims ''Innocence of Muslims'' is an anti-Islamic short film that was written and produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula. Two versions of the 14-minute video were uploaded to YouTube in July 2012, under the titles "The Real Life of Muhammad" and "Muham ...
'' trailer was released on YouTube. On January 17, 2016, some users reported that the website was unblocked, although the site was blocked again on January 20, 2016. Some startups, television shows, celebrities, and reformist politicians such as Mohammad Khatami, Khatami use this website.


North Korea

YouTube is blocked in North Korea because of the country's laws regarding the Internet and its accessibility. It has been fully blocked since April 2016, and the North Korean government has warned that anyone who tries to access it is subject to punishment.


Turkmenistan

On December 25, 2009, for security reasons, YouTube was blocked in Turkmenistan by the only Internet service provider, ISP in the country, Turkmentelecom. Other websites, such as LiveJournal were also blocked.


See also

* Censorship of Wikipedia *Censorship of Facebook *Censorship of Twitter *Elsagate


References


External links


YouTube Censored: A recent History
by the OpenNet Initiative: an interactive map that shows a rough history of YouTube censorship since 2006.
"Free Speech in the Age of YouTube"
in ''The New York Times'', September 22, 2012
Google Transparency Report
{{Censorship and websites YouTube Internet censorship, YouTube Internet censorship by organization, YouTube Internet censorship in China