The Stream

Will Pakistan block Google?

Netizens criticise government plans to filter YouTube content.

Pakistanis criticised their new information technology minister online after she threatened to block Google if the company did not comply with “ethical values”.

Minister of IT and Telecommunications Anusha Rahman said it was one of the government’s top priorities to allow citizens access to YouTube after it was banned in September 2012. However, she stressed the ban would only be lifted once Google, the parent company of YouTube, places a “proper filtration system” in place that bars blasphemous and pornographic content.