Egypt blocks YouTube for a month over 2012 anti-Islamic video

Egypt appears set to make good on its long-standing threat to temporarily ban YouTube. The country’s highest administrative court has ruled that the site should be blocked for a month after it allowed the screening of the anti-Islamic film Innocence of Muslims in 2012.

The 13-minute, low-budget short film depicted the Prophet Muhammad, sparking outrage across the Muslim world. Egypt launched a legal battle in 2013 to ban the film, but the entire legal process, including appeals against the initial ruling, took five years.
According to Reuters, YouTube has yet to comment on the high court’s ruling, which has yet to go into effect as it must first be cleared. Unlike in 2013, this ruling is final and cannot be overturned.
To some extent, the ban has lost its intended purpose, as YouTube itself has also changed since 2012, expressing a greater willingness to isolate or remove hate videos. However, it is still a punishment that is an attempt to change YouTube's policy, which will unfortunately affect millions of people in jobs and in the freedom of movement of ideas.