Service on Google Inc.'s YouTube site was disrupted around the world for several hours Sunday after a botched effort by the Pakistan government to block access to a video clip critical of Islam. The incident, which is still being investigated by YouTube, underscores the vulnerability of the global communications infrastructure. The unusual circumstances surrounding the breakdown also point to the growing role sites like YouTube have played in spreading politically charged content -- including in Pakistan, a nation that is already a tinderbox of political tensions. The story began unfolding Friday when the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, the nation's telecom regulator, ordered Pakistan's Internet service providers to immediately block access to a specific YouTube video which it said was so incendiary it could trigger riots. A senior official at the authority said it also contacted YouTube, requesting that the site remove the video. The PTA argued the clip was a violation of YouTube's terms of service, which ban hate speech. YouTube has since removed the clip. The site says it does not comment on reasons for removing specific videos. The problem began when Pakistan Telecommunication Corp. Ltd., or PTCL, began implementing the government orders to block the Dutch video on YouTube, according to one explanation offered by a person familiar with PTCL's network operations According to several people familiar with the matter, the company only meant to block YouTube within Pakistan. But erroneous handling of PTCL's routers inadvertently brought YouTube down, according to an explanation offered by two people with knowledge of the situation in Pakistan.http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120395109205290503.html?mod=technology_main_whats_news
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