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Earlier last month, the Pakistani blogosphere was deprived access to blogs hosted on Blogger.com. Given the abysmal speed of the internet in the country, many bloggers initially assumed that the problem lay with either their internet connection or with the blog hosting service. After a while the truth dawned upon the unsuspecting netizens. The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA) had issued orders to all ISPs, instructing them to restrict access to certain websites that displayed the derogatory caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). One of these websites happened to be a blog, hosted by Blogger, sporting a blogspot subdomain.
The Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE) in compliance with the government’s injunctions blocked the entire domain of Blogspot, thus restricting access to all of the four million plus blogspot blogs hosted there. Since then, the Pakistani blogosphere has been quite active in protesting the ban. Dr Awab Alvi aka Teeth Maestro and Omer Alvie have launched the “Don’t Block the Blog” campaign. So what exactly is the campaign aimed at? According to Omer Alvie “This campaign is not just an effort to end this current unfair blockade of blogspot.com blogs. Its aim is also to support freedom of speech and expression via the internet. We plan on spreading the word about this unfair ban and gaining the requisite support to get it revoked. For that, we’re using e-mail, internet forums and press releases”.
Parallel to this campaign, a Google group called the Action Group Against Blogspot Ban in Pakistan (AGABBIP) has been initiated by Dr Pak Blog .The campaign as well as the action group have the same members and the same aim – defend freedom of speech online, especially in the blogosphere. AGABBIP has a highly active mailing list which also focuses on different ways of bypassing the ban, issuing press releases and listing journalistic contacts that can highlight the issue in mainstream media. It is heartening to note that both groups are working together. According to Dr Awab Alvi, “Although the two groups have two different objectives, but they do compliment each other. AGABBIP is targeted towards the press and other important agencies, and aims to publicise the blogspot ban, while Don’t Block the Blog runs an online campaign aimed at creating awareness amongst the bloggers and internet surfers around the globe”.
| The Pakistan Internet Exchange (PIE)
in compliance with the government’s injunctions blocked the entire
blogspot.com domain, restricting access to all of the four million plus
blogs hosted there. |
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The world view |
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Even in
a country like China where access to information is restricted, bloggers
are managing to keep up. So how do they get around all the censorship
policies?
Many bloggers simply use MSN Spaces to host
their blogs and restrict access only to those whom they personally know.
Others simply e-mail their post to someone outside China who then posts
it on their behalf. In such cases, the standard precaution is to delete
the post after two days which is the routine period of time it takes the
Chinese government to take notice of the offending post. Proxy servers
are also the norm.
There are also services like “Adopt a Blog.”
How this works is that whenever a Chinese blog is blocked, another blog
hosting service adopts it for free. It is expected that the hosting
service which is adopting a blog does not have too many users in China;
otherwise it will also run the risk of being blocked.
In Zimbabwe, bloggers are
strictly warned not to use their real names. They are also told to use
Web-based e-mails and use pseudonyms when signing up for them. Paying
for any service online means making themselves traceable to the
government. To get around censorship policies, one way is to use
Circumventor. For that, a blogger needs to contact a trustworthy friend
outside Zimbabwe who can then install a server on his own PC. The
blogger would then be able to access his blog through that proxy server.
Of course, there are problems but once it works, it works wonders. |
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Accessing blogs |
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The
most convenient, albeit sluggish way of reading blogs hosted on Blogger
is to access them through a proxy server. Anonymouse is one such proxy
server. The great plus of this website is that it doesn’t block the
commenting service, so you can easily read and respond to blog posts.
Proxify is another means of accessing blogs. More technically inclined
users can install a CGI proxy on your PC. And those users who feel that
proxy servers are too much of a hassle, can simply sign up on Word
Press, and import your account from Blogger. |
Besides these two major campaigns against the ban, many bloggers have taken up the cause individually. “I have been writing about this issue on my blog and have also e-mailed various bloggers,” said Danial Ahmed. Sabahat Ashraf aka iFaqeer is also an online activist. “I have put information on my blog, as well as out to my press contacts here in the US and mailing lists for Pakistanis and Muslims in North America and beyond.” Zainab Razvi, a student blogger describes her online efforts as, “I have joined the action group where I am trying to help out as much as I can. So far, my efforts include putting up a permanent banner on my personal blog and spreading the action group press release around by forwarding it to different media contacts. I also have plans to jot down letters to some people and write a post on the subject of Freedom of Speech and Islam at Desicritics.org”.
In a way the blogspot ban has unintentionally turned out to be a unifying force for many Pakistani bloggers. Many bloggers, remain shocked and outraged at the ban. “Nobody can block information. If people are going to show those disgusting illustrations on the Web, they can still do it quite easily. Blogspot is not the only choice. Just let people choose what they want and see, and hope they will go towards good,” said Waqas Ashraf. “Blogging is essential to the world of information. Blogs can give you the information that the rest of the media cannot provide. The power, associated with citizen reporters, should be exercised responsibly. But then again the government needs to exercise that same principle,” explained Zohare Haider.
Many bloggers have expressed their apprehesion about more websites being banned on the pretext that the cartoons were published there as well. The list includes BBC, CNN and Wikipedia. But they are hopeful that their protests will bear fruit. The question now is, will the higher authorities pay heed to what they have to say? Will the blogs become accessible anytime soon? Only time will tell.
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The doctor is in |
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Spider
got in touch with the individual behind the Action Group Against
Blogspot Ban in Pakistan, who goes by the name of Dr. Pak Blog. |
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1)
What was your immediate reaction when you noticed none of the blogs were
opening?
I
thought it was just a temporary problem that would resolve itself in a
day or two. I only realised it was a ban when a friend of mine forwarded
an e-mail he got from an ISP he complained to, in which the ISP informed
him that they had orders to ban certain sites.
2) How have you personally responded to this censorship?
I created the Action Group Against Blogspot Ban in Pakistan. The group
has given me a lot of hope. What is wonderful is the atmosphere and
good-will everyone is showing in the group.
3)
When did you set up this Google group? Was it an individual effort?
I set
it up on March 3, 2006. I got it up and running, and spread the word in
different forums and the comment sections of blogs.
4)
What aims did you have in mind for the action group?
To
get people together who oppose the ban, and organise a peaceful,
civilised, protest in the print and electronic media. I wanted hundreds
of people writing thousands of letters protesting against the blogspot
ban in particular and internet censorship in general. We managed to send
out about 60 letters in the short period of 48 hours. This is just the
beginning. We’ll soon be sending out at least a hundred a day.
5)
How did you manage to acquire so many members, considering that blogs
are banned?
I
honestly don't know. I think the authorities took on a force they
totally underestimated. Bloggers are a proactive bunch by nature. I
think when people heard there was a place to get organised, they came
willingly.
6)
How can non-bloggers support you in your effort?
By
joining the group and helping us with the letter-writing campaign. It’s
not just about blogspot. It’s about the need for a free, open society
where tolerance of differences of opinion is encouraged. We need to have
an open society for democratic norms to take root and flourish. How will
that ever come to be if we choke our freedom to free speech? This ban
reflects a deep-seated insularism that pervades our society and which
has left it culturally frozen. We will never be able to improve
ourselves as a society if we don’t tolerate divergent opinions. |
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