Turkey reinstates YouTube ban


3 Nov 2010

A court in Turkey has once again ordered the ban of YouTube in the country, just days after it lifted the 30-month block of the video-sharing website.

The ban was originally instated when videos on the site were uploaded which insulted the country and its founder, which is a violation of Turkish laws.

However, the ban was lifted earlier this week after a German-based firm removed the videos on the request of three Turkish authorities using the automated copyright system, which was designed to protect copyrighted material.

YouTube later reposted the videos, noting they didn’t violate any copyright laws. Now, however, a court in Ankara has once again banned the site, but not because of this.

The ban was placed again after a secretly taped video reportedly was posted of the former chairman of the opposition in a bedroom with an aide.

The former opposition leader, Deniz Baykal, had quit in May after this tape was leaked to the media, and it seems it has been uploaded to YouTube.

Thousands of websites are currently banned in Turkey, including blogging site WordPress, Dailymotion and The Pirate Bay.