In an earlier article, Military Bans Popular Websites, I brought you the news about how the military is currently banning twelve popular websites from their computers and networks, effectively leaving military serving worldwide without access to those sites. It is an interesting ban, because the websites chosen for the ban involve communication or sharing of information in one way or another, mostly through video or audio.
Many soldiers use YouTube to share videos with loved ones back home, as well as view videos created by their loved ones, as a way of keeping in touch with their families and friends.
Now, one of those websites, YouTube has put in an appeal to the military to remove the ban. The co-founders of the YouTube website are challenging the military’s claim that YouTube and other websites banned are sapping too much bandwidth when soldiers oversees download videos.
“They said it might be a bandwidth issue, but they created the Internet, so I don’t know what the problem is,” Chief Executive Chad Hurley said during an interview with The Associated Press. He laughed at the irony. Hurley stated that he was doubtful of the impact on bandwidth, given the military’s massive computer network system, composed of more than 5 million computers around the world.
The co-founders and spokeswoman for YouTube has said that they are trying to work with the military to repeal the ban. They want to know what it will take to keep the website up and active for the military, and are willing to work with the military to install controls that would limit content.
In another bit of irony, the YouTube people would not allow video to be taken of the interview with the Associate Press, saying that a camera might interrupt their ability to be completely candid.
Other sites covered by the ban include:
- Metacafe
- IFilm
- StupidVideos
- FileCabi
- MySpace
- BlackPlanet
- Hi5
- Pandora
- MTV
- 1.fm
- live365
- Photobucket
Mary Ann Romans writes about her family’s money saving secrets in the Frugal Living Blog here at Families.com
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Military Bans Popular Websites