On Friday, June 4, 2010, a website called National Turk reported this depressing news:
The Telecommunication and communication Ministry (TIB), a government body that can control Internet accessibility in Turkey are attempting to block certain IP’s (Internet Protocol Addresses) belonging to Google due to “legal reason”.
To read the complete article click here.
While Google itself doesn't seem to be banned, certain related Google services have been effectively blocked. Here is a list:
Google services which are operating slowly or being banned by TIB
http://code.google.com
http://pages.google.com
http://video.google.com
http://translate.google.com.tr
http://docs.google.com
http://sites.google.com
http://books.google.com
http://chrome.google.com
http://sketchup.google.com
http://froogle.google.com
http://labs.google.com
http://mars.google.com
http://moon.google.com
http://notebook.google.com
http://toolbar.google.com
http://browsersync.google.com
http://catalog.google.com
http://codesearch.google.com
http://dir.google.com
http://earth.google.com
http://groups.google.com.tr
http://shopping.google.com
http://sky.google.com
http://support.google.com
http://tools.google.com
http://wap.google.com
http://answers.google.com
http://google-analystics.com
UPDATE:
TODAY'S ZAMAN has a little information for the justification of the banning. It is one that has been used time and time again to close websites in Turkey. The insulting of Ataturk, founder of the Turkish, whose vision of making Turkey a modern, secular and progressive nation is honored by the The Atatürkist Thought Association (ADD). Paradoxically, it appears it was this organization that applied to the Ankara Public Prosecutor's Office to ban Google Sites, saying several pages affiliated with the famous search engine insult Atatürk and the concept of Turkishness. http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=172297
Oh for gods sake...this is becoming ridiculous isn't it?
ReplyDeleteYoutube has been banned for so long now that I'm sure no-one can even remember the reason why.
How long before we're banned from using our computers altogether?
I spent all evening trying to figure out what happened to Youtube. I thought I had a virus. Yesterday there was also a problem with the internet and I thought I hadn't paid the bill .. erm, actually I hadn't but that was probably beside the point, as it turned out.
ReplyDeleteThis ban on Youtube apparently is more effective than the previous one which was quickly circumvented by most young people.
I've actually been experiencing problems this evening with the internet. Not being able to go straight to my "favourites" without logging in with passwords, which I never have to do...then losing my connection altogether...weird!
ReplyDeleteSame here. (I ran a virus check thinking it was MY computer too!)
ReplyDeleteGood Grief, I wonder what's going on.
Big Brother watching us? I wouldn't be surprised. Did I tell you that a couple of ex-pat friends of mine, running successful businesses in Cappadocia, knew for a fact that their phones were being tapped. This was a few years ago. Not quite sure HOW they knew. But nothing surprises me here anymore.
ReplyDeleteOops...better be careful with this conversation :-(
My parents and I have often thought the phone was being tapped during our calls. Whether it was the Turks or post-9/11 Americans doing it, who knows?
ReplyDeleteF*cking hell. I'm sure glad I got Open Office-- I was using Google Docs for work for a long time after I idiotically accidentally uninstalled Word (don't ask).
I thought it was interesting in the article where it said journalists and activists are urging people to protest the ban, rather than circumvent it. Would it be okay with them if I did both?
I really wonder what are the steps that have to happen for this stupid banning to end, because if there were something I could do, I would do it.
BTW Nomad-- Have you been posting things and taking them down again, or is something else amiss? I have a post in my reader called "Are You Ready" with a Barbara Mason album cover, but it won't open and I can't find it. There have been a few others like this... And I can't open the blog Turkish Politics in Action at all. Has he been hijacked again?
ReplyDeleteIn my case, I removed two posts. The video you mentioned refused to open for me. So instead of leaving it up there and having people frustrated, I removed it. But that was actually what started my investigation of YouTube, which led to the discovery of the ban. Wonder why Google doesn't have a net realtime status site because I searched all over for some information about this ban. It suddenly stopped working on Friday and then I learned about the ban. Funnily enough, right after that, it started working again. By that time, I had discovered The Troggs!
ReplyDeleteThere was also a wonderful video on the burning of Smyrna from Pathe studios. I had posted it because it didn't have any noticeable anti-Turk propaganda but a lot of interesting shots. I didn't care for the YouTube examples because there are always so many "flamers" on both sides that I didn't want that brought to my site. However, after I posted the first Pathe, I learned that my browser- and almost every browser- doesn't support I-frames. It becomes a link instead of displaying the video inside the site. So, I removed it. That was a shame because Pathe had a lot of amusing "cheerio, what?" type of clips about Turkey.
I think something strange is going on, with this particular banning but I haven't a clue. The only thing that I really miss is the google books. "Life magazine, I love you darling."
By the way, if you wish to write me directly, there is an email link in the side column. Or you can comment, with an adviso "not for publishing."
Turkish Politics in Action is indeed out of action. Have you ever had this happen to you yet? About two weeks I couldn't log in on my own site and it was one of those moments when you'd better be wearing diapers. I took some deep breaths and consulted the support from Google- which is probably banned, by the way. Step by step I was able to my account back. However, with this ban, I wouldn't know how you'd get your gmail account back because the support is apparently closed.
ReplyDeleteI shame on my country. That's all.
ReplyDeletehttp://turkishpoliticsinaction.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThe site is working but that particular linking post on my sidebar has been deleted. He said he was indeed hacked last week.
Nomad, I remember giving links about this at Stranger's blog but don't have time to dig them up at the moment. Today's Zaman is the wrong kind of place to get info on this. The censorious instinct is pervasive, no doubt, and ADD wouldn't be immune to it, but the opportunism of the propaganda press is also something to keep in mind. You can read Turkish I believe. I will give you two links from the minister in charge that shoul dgive you an idea about the power play these people are engaged in:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.radikal.com.tr/Radikal.aspx?aType=RadikalDetay&ArticleID=1001403
http://www.nethaber.com/Yazarlar/148465/Tamam-da-Googlein-hic-mi