Google has blocked the access to the controversial "Innocence of Muslims" video clips on YouTube in countries with large Muslim populations, including India, Libya, and Egypt to cool down sentiments over its contents.
The government of Afghanistan, also a majority Muslim country, has blocked the entire YouTube website in reaction to the anti-Muslim U.S.-made video. Muslims demonstrated against the anti-Muslim production in Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Qatar, Kuwait, Israel, Tunisia and Palestinian-controlled Gaza on Friday, the Muslim Sabbath.
The video was first updated on July 2.
"Innocence of Muslims" only achieved global notoriety this week after demonstrations against it in the Muslim world included the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that resulted in the death of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
In a statement by Google, the search engine company said "What's OK in one country can be offensive elsewhere."
Google said it has restricted access to the video temporarily.
In Afghanistan, a representative of the Ministry of Communications said YouTube had been "banned" in the country until "Innocence of Muslims" was removed.
In many countries, national communications departments own and operate the entire communications system, including Internet access. They are often the sole providers of Internet service.
Google disclosed that YouTube has "hundreds of millions" of users who upload 48 hours of video every minute, resulting in nearly eight years of content uploaded daily. Google acquired YouTube, of San Bruno, Calif., for $1.65 billion in 2006
In other news Google shares traded at $709.69, up $3.64 in Friday activity. They passed the $700 mark for the first time last Friday.
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