(MENAFN - Jordan Times) Google has started blocking access to clips of the anti-Islam film "Innocence of Muslims" in Jordan following a request by the government, the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology said Saturday.
The Internet giant agreed to block all links that connect YouTube users in Jordan to the anti-Islam movie, Minister of Information and Communications Technology Atef Tal told The Jordan Times on Saturday. Google owns the video-sharing site YouTube.
"Starting Friday, Google blocked all links on YouTube that lead to the film... Last week, we provided the company with all links on YouTube that show the film in Jordan," Tal said.
Telecom companies as well as Internet service providers in Jordan were provided with the list of links that connect to the film in order to block access to it, the minister added.
The ministry also instructed the National Centre for Information and Technology to specify all links that connect to the film that are not affiliated to YouTube, which will be provided to telecom operators and Internet providers to be blocked.
In mid-September, hundreds of Jordanians took to the streets near the US embassy and downtown Amman to protest the anti-Islam movie, which they labelled as "provocative".
During the demonstrations, protesters burnt the US flag and called for the withdrawal of the movie trailer from the Internet.
The low-budget film "Innocence of Muslims" incited a wave of bloody anti-American violence in cities across the Muslim world; targeted were US symbols ranging from embassies and schools to fast food chains, Agence France-Presse reported on Saturday.
At least 30 people died so far in unrest connected to the film in over 20 countries, the news agency said.
Google, the parent company of YouTube, said last Wednesday that the film would be restricted "in countries where it is considered illegal by local authorities", such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia, according to AFP.
YouTube last week restricted access to the film in Egypt and Libya after unrest in these countries, and has been adding countries to the list. Some others, including Pakistan and Sudan, have blocked access themselves, AFP reported.
