Pakistan has found that it's tough to control the Internet – specifically, what people decide to post on the popular microblogging service Twitter.
Pakistan's solution? Block Twitter. And that's just what the country did for around eight hours today. As for why, Pakistan officials were unhappy with a number of tweets sent today that asked users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad on Facebook – that's a big no-no in the Islam religion, to put it mildly, as many Muslims consider such depictions to be extremely offensive.
According to a report by the Associated Press, Pakistan's Ministry of Information Technology ordered Twitter blocked as a result of the company allegedly refusing to remove the offending messages. Facebook, however, allegedly did agree to address Pakistan's complaints, but it's unclear just what – if anything – the social network did in regards to the call for postings.
"The website has been banned by Ministry of Information Technology and the decision was conveyed to us. There was blasphemous material on Twitter," said Mohammad Younis Khan, spokesman for Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, as reported by The News International.
That said, members of Pakistan's government – at least, the tweeting ones – began a sort-of grassroots effort to restore access to the service for the approximately six million Pakistani Twitter users.
"It is highly sensitive issue and those who are making such un Islamic material which is hurting the feelings of Muslims," tweeted Rehman Malik, Interior Minister of Pakistan, after the country-wide ban was lifted.
"Dear All yes I spoke to [Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani] and informed how people are feeling about it.PM ordered to reopen the twitter.I also spoke to Raja pervez abt it," he added in a second posting.
The temporary Twitter ban is reminiscent of the country's efforts in 2010 to block a series of websites in relation to a publicized "Draw Prophet Muhammad Day" on Facebook. Pakistan ended up blocking roughly 1,000 websites in relation to the event, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, for a period of approximately two weeks.
Some pundits, according to the Christian Science Monitor, see the temporary Twitter ban as a method of "trying out" different forms of Internet censorship in advance of the country's general elections in October.
"The government is trying to test the waters to see what the response on such censorship is. We foresee more control on access of information, like we have seen in the past, when elections are near," says Bytes for All's Shahzad Ahmad.
For more tech tidbits from David Murphy, follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@thedavidmurphy).
