Blogspot Banned in Pakistan 2 nd March 2006 Cartoons Cartoons Cartoons.

Blogspot Banned in Pakistan

2nd March 2006

Cartoons Cartoons Cartoons

Supreme Court

Constitutional petition on March 2nd

Ordered the blocking of websites displaying the cartoons

12 websites to be blocked

Pakistan Penal Code

• Article 249-CUse of derogatory remarks, etc; in

respect of the Holy Prophet. Whoever by words, either spoken or written or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.

One specific website of the 12 was hosted on the blogspot domain

DrawMuhammadWeek.blogspot.com DrawMuhammadWeek.blogspot.com

Pakistan Telecom Authority

• PTA – establishes a Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE)

• Two Nodes control & Monitor all internet access in and out of Pakistan– Karachi– Lahore

• The authorities currently maintain a simple DNS Level block on blogspot.com

• PTA has tried to censor pornographic websites in 2003

• PTA has also occasionally blocked Anti-govt websites

2003 – South Asia Tribune www.satribune.com

Pakistan Internet Exchange

• PIE uses Cisco routers to block traffic, which are capable of more complex filtering rules

• Monitors all incoming and outgoing traffic from Pakistan

• Filters content depending on the whims of the administration

• Stores all data for three months

Blogspot.com

• All sub-domains on blogspot are blocked

• Blogger.com is unblocked so one can view comments and make posts but NOT view the website

Sample Traceroute March 3rd 2006

1. 180 ms 189 ms 175 ms MaxSuper-Pesh.super.net.pk [203.130.28.3]

2. 157 ms 215 ms 167 ms super28-line-001.super.net.pk [203.130.28.1]

3. 198 ms 174 ms 159 ms 10.250.250.614. 174 ms 175 ms 199 ms s9-1-2.rwp44d2.pie.net.pk

[202.125.155.117]5. 156 ms 167 ms 183 ms rwp44.pie.net.pk [202.125.148.160]6. * * * Request timed out.7. * * * Request timed out.8. * * * Request timed out.9. * * * Request timed out.10. * * * Request timed out.11. * * * Request timed out.12. * * * Request timed out.13. * * * Request timed out.14. * * * Request timed out.15. * * * Request timed out.16. ....................

We Choose to Speak outWe Choose to Protest

Pakistan Protests

1. Don’t Block the Blog2. Action Group Against Blogspot

Ban in Pakistan - AGABBIP3. Pakistan 451

Don’t Block the Blog

www.Help-Pakistan.com/main/dont-block-the-blog/

Don’t Block the Blog

Creation of Dr. Awab Alvi (Teeth

Maestro) teeth.com.pk/blog

Omer Alvie (Olive Ream) oream.blogspot.com

An online awareness campaign to protest against the blogspot ban

Action Group Against Blogspot Ban in Pakistan

groups.google.com/group/AGABBIP

Pakistan 451

pakistan451.wordpress.com

Censorship of Knowledge

Wikipedia Blocked

Wikipedia blocked for 7 hours

• March 31st 3.5 million pages of Wikipedia censored

• Blockade was due to ONE specific page displaying the cartoons

• AGABBIP mailing list was very active for the seven hours but just before press release was ready to be dispatched, the ban was lifted

Censore

d

Censore

d

for 7

hours

for 7

hours

We are the people

This is the face of a contemporary Pakistan

We are students, teachers, artists, journalists, activists and business men and women

They Cannot Ignore Us

Free speech is a prerequisite for any democratic society that respects civil liberties

I along with many bloggers are fighting for free speech…

not just for the blog voices in Pakistan but for a global free speech