14 DAY TRIAL // Google's online video sharing service YouTube became inaccessible for the Moroccan users for what it seems to be a local ban for the entire product. Although there is no official reason for the ban, it seems that a clip posted on YouTube is criticizing the country's king. However, if there is any clip infringing YouTube's guidelines, it should be removed by the company's employees just after the country's official informed them about the problem. At this time, there is no sign showing us whether the Moroccan authorities contacted YouTube or not.
"Yesterday, May 25, 2007, it has been reported by numerous Moroccan blogger that Morocco has blocked access to YouTube video sharing website. There have been many ongoing speculations that the ban followed the broadcasting of material critical of the country's king and pro-Western Sahara. This is the third major sites blocked by the Moroccan filtering regime after Google Earth and Livejournal," Global Voices Online sustained today.
As far I can see, a lot of Moroccan Internet users are claiming that YouTube is unavailable in the entire country as it was banned by the largest ISP in the region. However, some of the users sustain that YouTube is still available because they were able to login and view clips. "I have just read the posting about Morocco blocking YouTube - living in Morocco I can state that it is not (blocked), I have been able to log-on and view film clips without any problems what so ever," an Internet user sustained in a comment posted on the publication's article.
In the past, YouTube was involved in a similar problem concerning Thailand. A clip posted on the online video sharing service was insulting the Thai king and, even if the authorities contacted Google to remove the video, it remained available for a considerable period of time.