Last month Thailand banned YouTube from the entire country because of an insulting video showing the Thai King.
The video showed the King with his face painted as a clown and an image of his feet pasted over his head. This depiction is apparently a very insulting gesture in Thailand.
Google, YouTube’s parent company, has now stated it will censor all controversial clips ‘insulting’ His Majesty, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. With this news the Thai government has dropped the criminal lawsuit that it was otherwise planning to file against Google.
“Information and Communications Minister for Thailand, Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom, said he had received an official letter from Kent Walker, a Google Vice President, stating that Google will remove ‘controversial’ Internet video clips from its video sharing Web site, YouTube.” (TechTree)
Controversial Censorship
This is not a good message that YouTube is sending out to its users. You are free to say what you want, insult who you want, make funny videos of George Bush and Tony Blair, just don’t insult the Thai King,
This adds to Google’s list of agreed censorship deals including deals with Turkey, Brazil and China.
With this sort of censorship in place it allows for one sided views to take place leading to a propaganda type environment.
Did Google Have a Choice
Admittedly nobody in Thailand would be allowed to visit the site if Google refused to remove offending clips as Thailand has banned YouTube anyway.
For the Thai people the censorship would exist either way but by cooperating with the Thai government it at least allows YouTube a route back into the country.
However, despite the promise from Google to remove offending clips, Thailand has not lifted the ban on YouTube, although it may do once YouTube shows it is actively removing insulting videos.
Don’t let the rest of the world suffer
When Google agreed to Chinese censorship it only censored its website in China, it did not force this censorship on the rest of the world. The Thai case is very different because YouTube is removing offending clips so no one in the world can see them.
YouTube actually banned the user who first uploaded the clip that set the Thai government off.
If a single country insists on censorship the rest of the world should not suffer as a result.
