Chowrangi

When the news of Youtube blockage in Pakistan first came out, it was thought that the issue has occurred at PTCL’s end which blocked entire domain instead of just blocking a specific url. This opinion was based on the fact that Youtube was accessible through service providers using TWA backbone.

Later on, it was revealed that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was directed by the government to restrict access to blasphemous video hosted on Youtube. PTA engineers in the process, intentionally or unintentionally, updated IP tables of their service provider PCCW. After the update PCCW had two access routes to Youtube. As Internet Service Providers consider longer routes to be more authentic, they started sending traffic to PTAs’ route, resulting in world’s traffic going to a void address. The issue was traced by Youtube engineers and resolved in 2 hours. Later on, PTA directed service providers in Pakistan to block Youtube which resulted in mayhem, as discussed earlier.

This type of blockage is not new in Pakistan. Two years back, famous blogging platform Blogspot was blocked for couple of months. The reason was similar; somebody published blasphemous cartoons on blogspot and Pakistani authorities blocked whole site instead of particular blog that hosted the objectionable content.

While international media was grilling Pakistan for “blocking” Youtube, Pakistanis took it to their advantage. Self-acclaimed human rights champions analyzed that the blockage is done to stop people from watching alleged rigging videos or other stuff related to Elections 2008. Without actual knowledge of the issue, attention-hungry “intellectuals” started giving fatwas left, right and center.

Freethinkers and liberals claimed that no one has a right to censor the internet. They are of opinion that no “watch-dog” is required and it is they, as individuals, who decide what to watch and what not. If this argument is taken as valid then chaos will certainly prevail in the land. Kids will refuse to obey parents when they are told not to watch certain TV channels. Teenagers will ask to have all sort of drugs available in market so that they can decide what to use and what not to use.

These opponents of censor are hostile to reasoning that most of the internet based content in UAE and Saudi Arabia is censored or filtered. Perhaps they think Pakistan is Utopia.

While Pakistani Blogosphere was busy burning virtual effigies of PTA, Renesys did a logical review of situation:

Since BGP relies on a transitive trust model, validation between customer and provider is important. In this case, PCCW (3491) did not validate Pakistan Telecom’s (17557) advertisement for 208.65.153.0/24. By accepting this advertisement and readvertising to its peers and providers PCCW was propagating the wrong route. Those who saw this route from PCCW selected it since it was a more specific route. YouTube was advertising 208.65.152.0/22 before the event started and the /24 was a smaller (and more specific) advertisement. According to usual BGP route selection process, the /24 was then chosen, effectively completing the hijack.

Ultimately, though, the problem remains one of transitive trust. A provider can and should limit the advertisements it will accept from a customer. The mechanics can be arranged manually or can be configured using Routing Policy Specification Language (RPSL) to communicate the policy and drive configuration. In the case of Pakistan Telecom, they originate or transit fewer than 1000 prefixes.

This clearly means that PCCW is more to blame than PTA. While PTA has undoubtedly did a blunder of updating its IP tables (whether knowingly or unknowingly), it was responsibility of PCCW to authenticate the routes provided by PTCL prior to opening them to rest of the world.

It should be noted that this blockage, and global media attention that followed, caused Youtube to realize and remove blasphemous video. Nobody in Pakistani blogosphere or media campaigned for this removal.

I think its time we all realize our responsibilities as citizen journalists. There is no use of delving in emotions, issuing blunt statements and getting into verbal abuses. We should realize that PTA, PTCL and other authorities, no matter how inefficient and notorious, are part of Pakistan. We should point out their mistakes but should not treat them as enemies of the land.

Other posts by Kashif Aziz

• Predictions of the Century: The Fate of Sarah Palin, and Asif Ali Zardari and United States of America - October 12th, 2008
• Investors from Pakistan buying property worth millions of dollars at UAE Cityscape 2008 - October 9th, 2008
• Real Story behind Zardari's US visit - October 3rd, 2008
• Marriott Hotel Blast: A Malaysian Eyewitness recalls the Terror and Chaos - October 3rd, 2008
• Zardari parties while Pakistan plunges into Economic and Political Crisis - October 1st, 2008
• Asif Zardari and Sarah Palin: Where Mr Ten Percent meets the Pit Bull with Lip Stick - September 25th, 2008
• What it takes to be John McCain - September 25th, 2008
• Fire Safety and Disaster Management Competency at Marriott Hotel Islamabad - September 24th, 2008
• Bill Marriott on Marriott Hotel Islamabad Blast - September 24th, 2008
• Hotel Marriott Islamabad: Where Spies Met - September 23rd, 2008