THE TELEGRAPH: Google is among several high-profile websites which Pakistan is to begin monitoring in an attempt to block content it deems anti-Islamic.
Seven major websites, including Google and Yahoo, will be monitored and 17 lesser-known sites are being blocked outright for alleged blasphemous material under court orders.
The moves follow a temporary ban that Pakistan imposed on Facebook in May.
The sites to be monitored include Yahoo, Google, YouTube, Amazon and MSN, Hotmail and Bing from Microsoft, according to a spokesman for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
He added: "If any particular link with offensive content appears on these websites, the (link) shall be blocked immediately without disturbing the main website."
Scott Rubin, a spokesman for Google, responded that the company intends, in turn, to monitor how the new policies affect access to its services.
He said: "Google and YouTube are platforms for free expression, and we try to allow as much ... content as possible on our services and still ensure that we enforce our policies."
Yahoo said Pakistan's actions were disappointing. Microsoft and Amazon did not respond immediately. >>> Andy Bloxham and Asif Shahzad | Saturday, June 26, 2010
