The situation of YouTube's availability in Turkey is getting murkier by the minute. A two-year ban was lifted over the weekend, however, YouTube has since restored the videos that were the cause of the dispute paving the way for another ban. The site was, in fact, blocked again for a period yesterday, but then unblocked. And now, there's a new threat as another court order is asking YouTube to remove a video which is the heart of a political scandal in the country, though, unrelated to the videos which led to the initial ban.
At the moment, the site is apparently still available in the country, but the two sides are due to meet later this week for discussions.
The dispute between YouTube and Turkey goes back several years. The country had a 30-month ban on the site for carrying videos that were insulting the republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.
YouTube blocked the videos in Turkey while the ban was active, but the country wanted them removed worldwide.
Those videos were taken offline last week as the result of a copyright claim leading to a
court in Turkey lifting the ban. However, YouTube labeled the claims as invalid and since
re-posted the offending videos. Turkish officials warned that this could lead to another ban.
Reports claim that Turkish users were unable to access YouTube yesterday for a period of time. The ban was later removed and the site is now accessible, though the matter hasn't been settled.
To complicate things even further, the Turkish agency which oversees all matters regarding the internet said that it now wants YouTube to remove another video, showing Deniz Baykal, then leader of the Republican People's Party, in a hotel room with female companion.
The video led to him resigning his position. Neither parties involved would comment further on the matters. YouTube and Turkish officials are set to meet this week.
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