the air

It comes as no surprise that YouTube has bowed to the Turkish government’s decision to block access to YouTube. Earlier last week, the Turkish government blocked access to YouTube due to some offensive videos pertaining to jokes about its founder and its national flag. However, recently, YouTube has removed all the “foul” videos and the Turkish government has reinstated its citizen’s ability to access YouTube.

What appalls me is the fact that YouTube and Google are both willing to bow to government pressures rather than keeping in line with freedom of speech. I realize that the concept of freedom of speech is something that most Americans take to the extreme. Many countries throughout the world are also purveyors of freedom of speech, as long as you don’t say anything bad about religion (e.g. many Islamic countries) or the country itself (e.g. Turkey). I think that freedom of speech should extend to any words spoken by any person as long as the words do not directly call for violence against any entity. Nevertheless, speaking about violence and promoting violence verbally are expressions that are allowed and I am comfortable with it mainly because I strongly believe in the right to speak your mind without consequence.

I am sure that YouTube will continue bow to other countries’ demands and remove videos that any country finds offensive. I think it is more prudent for YouTube to obey the laws of the country in which it is hosted rather than allow other countries to dictate its policies. Unfortunately for many Turkish citizens, this action by YouTube is a blow to their freedom of speech since it is now likely that the Turkish government could enforce erroneous laws against them and those who speak out against the Turkish government.

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