Was browsing some blogs hosted by Google’s Blogger via BlogSpot.com. It looks like everything on it is blocked here in Pakistan:
ERROR
The requested URL could not be retrieved
While trying to retrieve the URL: http://www.blogspot.com/
The following error was encountered:
* Connection to xx.xx.xxx.xxx Failed
The system returned:
(60) Operation timed out
The remote host or network may be down. Please try the request again.
Your cache administrator is noc@hri.net.pk.
Generated Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:33:29 GMT by BSD-Cache.hri.net.pk (squid/2.5.STABLE13)
I did a quick search in Google and found out this has been going on for some time now.
However, the Blogger.com main site is available and you can login to your account and publish a blog entry, only that nobody can view your blog if it’s hosted on BlogSpot.
There are some workarounds here but whenever I go to DNSStuff.com, I get this error: WARNING: You are using a web proxy that is currently being abused by malware.
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Makes you realize, our Internet in the Philippines is still better than many places!
God.. no wonder I can’t read the CALD blog. and all the time I was thinking that the CALD people have technical problems
Well, maybe they hate Blogger for sucking so much. Hahaha. Oh and let’s not even start about Blogger Beta.
have you tried using pkblogs.com? it’s their workaround, or maybe, it’s already blocked too
Yeah. This has been pretty extensively covered by GlobalVoices earlier in the year, but I haven’t kept up with the thread. I guess the ban is still in place.
Here’s the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Censorship_in_Pakistan
Yeah! Blogspot blocked long ago. Remember that blasphemous cartoon controversy? by that time Govt of Pakistan blocked the blogspot as It was hosting some blogs that reprinted those cartoons. Amazingly most Pakistanis were using Blogpot for blogging, now they are shifting to alternatives like Wordpress.
Not only in Pakistan but also in China, Iran and Syria. However, people in the said countries can view blogs from blogspot using the blog’s feed or they can also view blogs using pkblogs.com…
that’s too bad,considering that i use blogspot. buti ka pa you get your own server and all…
Yes, I think I heard the news about this months ago and though I’ve heard from people that China and KSA blocks a lot of websites (Flickr, BlogSpot, etc) I didn’t it would be done here too.
If that incident was the cause, then I think its just a band-aid solution.
Yes I agree cencorship is bad idea on the internet, but everyone can find a way around it, say like you can still access thoe blogspot blog through this:
pkblogs.com/bloggerusername
it’s as simple as that !
peace
-me