TURKEY has banned 138 words from Internet domain names. The Telecommunications Directorate has created problems for many sites. For example, sanaldestekunitesi.com (virtualsupportunit.com) contains the world “anal”, which is forbidden.
Also, for reasons unclear, the number 31 is a slang term for masturbation. So, any domain with 31 in it is banned.
Other banned English words: beat, escort, homemade, hot, nubile, free and teen. Some others in English have different meanings: “pic,” short for picture, is banned because it means “bastard” in Turkish.
Also banned:
“Gay” and its Turkish pronunciation “gey,” “çıplak” (naked), “itiraf” (confession), “liseli” (high school student), “nefes” (breath) and [ironically] “yasak” (forbidden) are some of the other banned words.
Turkey has a history of blocking and censoring websites, including YouTube, MySpace and Google.
The behaviour of the Turkish elite, who decide what the people can and cannot see, serves to remind us that free speech is hard won and easily lost. Publish and be damned.
Spotter: Karen
via Anorak News » Turkey Bans 138 Words From The Internet: Teen Forbidden.