By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
In Egypt yesterday a court ruled to ban YouTube.
The logic is that on YouTube, anti-Muslim films are being circulated and - worse yet, viewed.
But despite the decision of the Egyptian court, Egypt cannot ban YouTube. They do not have the technology to ban or to block it. It is ridiculous to even think about.
YouTube is an essential vehicle for democracy movements. They film events and post videos of anti-democratic demonstrations. They post videos of police brutality. They post real time unedited tape of what is happening.
Banning YouTube in Egypt is like trying to forbid gravity from working within Egyptian borders. Whether they like it or not, it happens and there is nothing they can do about it. The best idea is to try to understand YouTube and use it for your advantage.
In and of itself, this ban tells us volumes about the attitude of Egyptian courts and leadership on modern technology and information and the dissemination of details and about the inner activities and workings in Egypt.
YouTube allows all of us "in." The leaders of Egypt do not want us to get too close and see too much. Egypt wants all of us to keep "out" of their business.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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