Internet

Twitter blocked, then restored in Pakistan over ‘Draw Muhammad’ row

The Pakistani government blocked access to Twitter this weekend, after instructing internet service providers to restrict access to the social network.The row erupted over a competition, actually hosted on Facebook, asking for people to post caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad, something deemed blasphemous and highly offensive to some Muslims.While Facebook agreed to listen to the government’s concerns, on the planned “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” scheduled for Twitter, apparently, did not.That caused the country’s Minister of Information technology to tell the ISPs to “block Twitter.com with immediate effect.”Chairman of the country’s Telecommunication’s Authority, Mohammad Yaseen, added: “We have been negotiating with them until last night, but they did not agree to remove the stuff, so we had to block it.”Access now restoredAccess to the Twitter site had been blocked for 8-hours on Sunday, but it had no real effect on the ability to tweet, with users able to use smartphones and download software to avoid the ban.According to the Washington Post the blockade has now been lifted following an intervention from Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, who, according to another minister, had ordered that access to Twitter be restored.It seems there may have been some indecision at the top of the government over the decision to block Twitter, with the Minister of Information Technology possibly acting without approval.Related StoriesGmail gets more Google+ with people-friendly makeoverOfficial: Facebook to sell shares at $38, values company at $104bnMobile madness as wrong sites censored by telecoms providersTwitter now supports Do Not Track, loves privacyGovernment blasted for ‘cosy’ relationship with Google

Published

9 years ago

May 20, 2012

Zhang Fang

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Twitter blocked, then restored in Pakistan over ‘Draw Muhammad’ row

Tech

How the Rural-Urban Divide Plays Out on Digital Platforms

It is one thing for entrepreneurs, whether urban or rural, to create and operate an online store, as some digital platforms have made it relatively easy to manage an e-store – even by using just a smartphone.

Published

2 months ago

March 24, 2021

Insead Knowledge

In the West, villages are emptying out due to the lack of economic opportunities. Consider Italy where, in a bid to attract newcomers, a handful of municipalities have turned to selling houses for €1.

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Ecommerce

Thailand’s internet economy to hit US$53 billion in 2025

New users in Southeast Asia are coming online at a blistering pace, adding 40M new Internet users this year alone compared to 100M between 2015 and 2019 and 70% of the region’s population is now online.

Published

6 months ago

November 11, 2020

Abhishek Prakash

Internet usage in Southeast Asia continues to multiply, with 40M new users this year alone

Southeast Asia’s Internet sectors continue to see strong growth, hitting $100 billion in 2020, and are on track to cross $300 billion by 2025 stated a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek Holdings and business consultants Bain & Co.

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Ecommerce

Southeast Asia’s internet economy hits $100 billion

The two pacesetters in the region are Indonesia and Vietnam, which lead the pack with growth rates in excess of 40% a year.

Published

2 years ago

October 24, 2019

Zhong Li

The internet economies in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines are growing by between 20% and 30% annually, with no signs of slowing down, according to Google and Temasek multi-year research program.

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