10. Spain
Youtube was blocked briefly in 2007 after a lawsuit by model Daniela Cicarelli. She wanted a sexy video of her & her boyfriend removed, leading to a short ban.
9. TURKEY
Videos that insulted Turkishness led to bans between 2007-2010. The current prime minster is threatening another ban due to web leaks about alleged corruption. Although YouTube was officially banned in Turkey, the website was still accessible by modifying connection parameters to use alternative DNS servers.
8. GERMANY
A 2009 rights dispute means clips with major label music, even in the background are blocked. A 2013 study found that 60 of the top 1000 most viewed Youtube clips were censored.
7. MOROCCO
Morocco has had YouTube banned because of videos that mock the Moroccan king as well as some pro-Western Sahara clips – until today. For the first time in two weeks, Moroccans can access YouTube again. Morocco is very protective of its image and will stop at nothing to prevent people from mocking it, especially because of an ongoing human rights issue in West Sahara.
6. THAILAND
A 44-second slideshow containing defaced photos of Thailand’s King led to the blocking of YouTube. The ban lasted for 5 months in 2007.
5. TURKMENISTAN
The country’s only ISP blocked Youtube in 2009 – no official reason was given. Citizens have to present a passport to use the web at an Internet cafe.
4. CHINA
Youtube was banned in 2009 & there were strict rules for web video. All uploads were to be vetted to prevent vulgar material & protect people’s health.It’s not the first time users in China have been unable to access the site. In March 2008, China blocked YouTube during riots in Tibet. Censorship in China is handled the PRC’s ruling party, the Communist Party of China (CPC). Reporters Without Borders ranks China’s press situation as “very serious”, the worst ranking on their five-point scale. China’s Internet censorship policy is also viewed as “pervasive” by the OpenNet Initiative’s global Internet filtering map, also the worst ranking used.
3. NORTH KOREA
Only a few cities can access the real Internet. Ordinary citizens have a national intranet called Kwangmyoug with around 1,000 sites. Although Youtube is banned inside the country, North Korea government has created a Youtube channel that it uses for propaganda purposes against South Korea and the West. Not much has improved with the death of Kim Jong-il and the accession to power by Kim Jong-un.
2. IRAN
Due to protests after 2009’s presidential election, Youtube was blocked. A government-run alternative called Mehr launched in 2012 to promote Iranian culture. The ban took place after an Iranian actress was featured in a YouTube video doing prohibitive behavior that is scorned upon in Iran. The block was later lifted and then reinstated after the 2009 Iranian presidential election. In 2012, Iran reblocked YouTube, along with Google after the controversial film Innocence of Muslims’ trailer was released on YouTube.
1. PAKISTAN
YouTube was banned in Pakistan in September 2014 over a controversial video clip, called “Innocence of Muslims,” which mocked Mohammed, the Muslim Prophet. The country’s telecom regulator said it was blocking the entire site as it was not able to block individual links. Authorities accidentally caused a global Youtube blackout in 2008 while enforcing another ban.