Bilgi Çağı Magazine takes the issue of ‘internet ban’ with news and interviews from mobile life in its June edition
The main issue in June edition of Bilgi Çağı Magazine is prohibitions and blocked access to specific web sites. Turkey is a country which has been mentioned with prohibitions such as Iranand China for a while. Recent attempts in internet ban in the last one month are worrying. Censor applications on YouTube and Google also discriminate against the internet users.
Faruk Eczacıbaşı, chairman of the Turkish Informatics Foundation, who evaluates the present situation on YouTube prohibition and slowing access to Google states that in mid June of 2010 this problem has turned into a duel between Ministry of Transport and Communication, Information and Communication Technologies Authority, Telecommunications Communication Presidency and Google. He also emphasizes that YouTube can be controlled without being banned.
Leyla Arsan, the CEO of TAGES, states that while closedness, covering her face and body is physically performing; covering information and preventing its access begin to virtually perform. In addition to that this application has a format that can be done and spread faster. The bad side of that measures to take forward of virtual veil can not be taken at the same speed with ever-evolving technology. In her article Arsan pointed the prohibitions in Iran, Republic of China, Morocco, Thailand, Pakistan and Libya and their reasons:
- In July 2009, Republic of China has banned the access to YouTube to prevent dissemination of Uighur uprisings
- Morocco shuts YouTube in 2008
- Thailand has banned YouTube because of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s galling videos.
- On 3rd of December 2006, Iran banned access to YouTube and similar sites for a certain period because of finding it harmful for social and ethical aspects. This is because of the sex scenes in a soap opera. But ban was lifted with presidential election in 2009.
- On 23rd of February 2008, Pakistan closed access to YouTube because of irritating videos about the future of Islam, and that includes the cartoon which is about Prophet Muhammad published by Denmark. But prohibition lasted for a short term, during 3 days all users are logged from private Networks and on 26th February of 2008 the ban was lifted. But later in May 2010 because of the increase in the content about sacred matters, access to YouTube was banned again.
- On 24th January 2010, Libya banned access to YouTube to prevent video shows of families in Benghazi who were killed in Abu Salim prison in 1996.
- Turkey banned YouTube to prevent presentation of videos which are insulting Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. But Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said to the journalists that he could access YouTube, closely mentioned that it can be watched through open proxy. The most recent shutdown of some services of Google took place recently in 2010.
For reading the full article in Turkish, you can reach http://www.bilgicagi.com/Yazilar/2692-sanal_ortunme_fiziksel_ortunmeye_karsi.aspx
Assoc. Dr. Mustafa Akgül Central, Bilkent University Faculty Member and President of Association of Internet Technologies, defends that 5651 of the law which designs bureaucratic structure of censorship had to be cancelled. Also Akgül states that we have to move to a solution which is, in a participatory and a transparent manner, based on freedom, trusts to citizen, solve protection of children with school and family unity, protects children also in public domain.
Also in this edition of Bilgi Çağı, IBM Global CEO Study 2010 took place in addition to other news and interviews. According to IBM Global CEO Study 2010 there are 5 Turkish academicians among the winners of IBM Faculty Award where approximately 400 academics are attending with their research projects every year. Academicians and their universities awarded are Asst. Assoc. Dr. Murat Saraçlar from Boğaziçi University Department of Electrical Engineering, Assoc. Dr. Elif Uysal Bıyıkoğlu and Assoc. Dr. Özgür B. Akan from Middle East Technical University Department of Electrical Engineering, Asst. Assoc. Dr. Emrah Şener from Özyeğin University Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Assoc. Dr. Bülent Çatay from Sabancı University Department of Industrial Engineering.
For more details of all news: www.bilgicagi.com
