After claims that a YouTube video contained degrading content about Ataturk, the founder of modern Turkish state, Turkish courts banned access to the popular video exchange site from Turkey. They didn't want anyone to tamper with the evidence while they reviewed the case.
Don't get me wrong, I am a follower of Ataturk's path and I staunchly believe in protecting his name and his institutions. But I am not sure if it may be possible to contain content on an ever dynamic social media site. My guess is that many people wouldn't even be able to find the video and the pertaining user comments that are in question.
But nowadays the focus on the case have shifted from the court's decision to the back roads Turkish Internet users take to access YouTube. As Milliyet, a leading national paper here, reported recently the number of Turkish visitors to YouTube has reached 800,000 per day, pushing the site to the most viewed 10 Web destinations in the country. Google searches on alternative ways to access YouTube returns more than 300,000 results. In a November interview, even the country's Prime Minister admitted to accessing YouTube through alternative sites.
The ban doesn't seem to stop young Turks from connecting and networking.
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