Alan Silberberg, Turkey's Blogger Ban and the Whisky Trench Riders
ow then. I've not broached anything political on this blog before, but in the middle of Rach's Crusade, and all the fun I'm having reading everyone's writing blogs and research blogs and blogfest post blogs, and being so pleased that so many of you follow me, I've learned from Ayak that there's a ban on blogs in Turkey. Specifically, blogs hosted by Blogger.
Why this isn't getting more attention, I'm not sure. I know YouTube is banned in Turkey, and it boggles my mind that the population is more willing to seek workarounds (as all my friends there do) than actually protesting the ban.
What's frustrating is that my feeble brain seems unable to understand the legality behind this. According to World Bulletin, the site has been banned "following complaints by digital satellite platform Digiturk in Turkey, dipnot.tv reported. ...after Digiturk filed a complaint against the website on the grounds that it violated the company's broadcasting rights of Turkey's top football division. Speaking in Germany [Özeren] said the decision is a legal process between Google and Digiturk and only Google can solve the problem. ...'But within the two days at most, we expect the decision to have reached all providers. If the situation leading to the decision to ban the website is eliminated and Google appeals to the court, then the process may end.'"
It seems to be innocent users that suffer - can they not fight it out in court without cancelling the site?
n better news, Alan Silberberg's Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze (which I reviewed back in November) is out now in the UK, under the title Milo and the Restart Button. Check out his most recent interview, upon winning the SCBWI 2010 Sid Fleischman Humor Award.
And the Whisky Trench Riders have posted two new songs!
Why this isn't getting more attention, I'm not sure. I know YouTube is banned in Turkey, and it boggles my mind that the population is more willing to seek workarounds (as all my friends there do) than actually protesting the ban.
What's frustrating is that my feeble brain seems unable to understand the legality behind this. According to World Bulletin, the site has been banned "following complaints by digital satellite platform Digiturk in Turkey, dipnot.tv reported. ...after Digiturk filed a complaint against the website on the grounds that it violated the company's broadcasting rights of Turkey's top football division. Speaking in Germany [Özeren] said the decision is a legal process between Google and Digiturk and only Google can solve the problem. ...'But within the two days at most, we expect the decision to have reached all providers. If the situation leading to the decision to ban the website is eliminated and Google appeals to the court, then the process may end.'"
It seems to be innocent users that suffer - can they not fight it out in court without cancelling the site?
n better news, Alan Silberberg's Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze (which I reviewed back in November) is out now in the UK, under the title Milo and the Restart Button. Check out his most recent interview, upon winning the SCBWI 2010 Sid Fleischman Humor Award.
And the Whisky Trench Riders have posted two new songs!
Comments
We are lucky to live in free places.
I hope things change worldwide so that everyone has access to information they need, with the freedom to express themselves.
Thanks for dropping by everyone! I know, we do seem to take things for granted, and it's only when you hear of things like this that it reminds you. As far as I can tell it's a Google dispute over broadcast rights to certain sporting events. Again, why bloggers have to suffer because of that...
I'm working my way around all my crusader groups this week.
Denise<3