The ban occurred because of user-created videos that insult Ataturk, Turkey’s founder, and we in no way approve of these clips.  It’s just that somebody, somewhere, has to realize a whack-a-mole approach to deleting them (and/or banning YouTube) isn’t working.

The current situation puts Turkey’s government in a light that makes it look more silly than authoritative.  Google’s support of free speech appears weaker every time it gives in.  No one’s winning.

In America, people representing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln sell hamburgers and hawk cars.  The practice isn’t exactly "nice" or respectful, but it does no real harm.  Turkey’s government will need to either get used to the Ataturk videos, accept that YouTube can’t instantly take them down, or just spare everyone the back-and-forth and enact a permanent ban.

Or it can keep intermittently blocking the site.  At least the routine gives us something to write about.

The ban comes after the video site hosted a video insulting Turkey’s founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, as well as President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the army.

Apparently, it’s a big deal in Turkey to insult Ataturk and this is the second time the country has blocked YouTube for allowing critical videos of him.

In response, a media advocacy group has criticized Turkey.

“Blocking an entire Web site because of a few videos is a disproportionate measure,” the Paris-based Reporters Without Borders said. “We urge the authorities to reverse this decision.”

If you’re interested, here are all the videos that mention Ataturk–good luck finding the offending clip!

Comments

Our previous coverage of this story led to one of the most “energetic” comment sections WebProNews has ever seen.  This time around, Reporters Without Borders seemed to get worked up as it responded to Turkey’s decision.

“It shows the authorities want to force website editors to censor themselves,” the group wrote.  “The possible consequences of this law are very disturbing.  Will subversive content also be banned from chat forums?  How far does the government want go to impose its control on online dissent?”

Indeed.  Some people might also be interested in Reporters Without Borders’s description of the Turkish regulation.

Well, Turkey may have done it this time.  It beat Google, but can it beat the world?  In related news, the Post Chronicle reports, “New French President Nicolas Sarkozy said Thursday he does not believe Turkey should be admitted to the European Union.”

If you didn’t hear why the ban was initiated, you can read our coverage here.  In short: Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the country’s founder, was depicted as homosexual in a video, and Turk Telecom, as ordered by an Istanbul court, quickly shut down access to YouTube.

The Southeast European Times reported that the resulting site was pretty empty, except for a statement that labeled its emptiness as being “in accordance with decision No: 2007/384 dated 06.03.2007 of the Istanbul First Criminal Peace Court.”

It didn’t take long for YouTube to cry uncle, and, depending on your point of view, this could be either a smart business decision or another Google-related failure in the realm of free speech. An official statement from the company gave a nod to “new and unique cultural challenges,” then went on to say, “We respect the authorities in Turkey and are committed to working with them to resolve this. We should note, however, that the video in question is no longer on the site.”

And just like that, the ban was lifted and the respect of some was lost. Michael Arrington wrote that YouTube’s capitulation “sets a terrible precedent” and “shows that they’ll be soft on these issues in the future . . . . “This is also,” he noted, “yet another blow to freedom of speech in Turkey.”

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