Pakistan Resumes Blocking Entire Blogspot Domain

Posted on May 7, 2006

A Don't Block the Blog PDF press release reports that the Government of Pakistan appears to have resumed blocking the entire Blogspot domain. Pakistan had lifted the block but apparently because of World Press Freedom Day, which was held on May 3rd..

Reports have come in from a number of cites around the country that the entire Blogspot domain is blocked in its entirety. Just recently only three days back, specifically on the 3rd of May, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority had lifted the entire ban, allowing all internet users unrestricted surfing to the 10 millions websites hosted on the blogspot.com domain. It appears as if the three day relief was just to appease the United Nations in its annual 3rd of May celebrations for the Freedom of Press.
The PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) had initially blocked access to the blogspot domain on the 3rd of March 2006, due to a Supreme Court decision dated 2nd March 2006 instructing the PTA to ban 12 offending websites which highlighted the blasphemous cartoons on the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In adherence to the Supreme Court ruling, all 12 sites were blocked including one that was hosted on the blogspot domain. But rather than block the offending blogspot website, the PTA blocked the entire domain (www.blogspot.com) which happens to be one of the most popular blog hosting domains hosting approximately upwards of ten million blogs globally. We strongly oppose this blanket ban on any website, and ask the world to join hands to peacefully protest the censorship of the internet.

Pakistan's started blocking Blogspot blogs on March 3rd because one or more Blogspot blogs contained the controversial Mohammed Cartoons. However, instead of just blocking the individual blogs Pakistan has blocked the entire Blogspot domain.