http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...et_pornography
KARACHI, Pakistan - Pakistani authorities said Sunday they've blocked 1,800 Web sites in a crackdown on Internet pornography in this deeply conservative Muslim country.
But it's not proving to be easy.
"Curbing porn sites is as difficult as blocking the wind," said Web engineer Farhan Parpia, of the state-owned telecommunications company. "You block one, and dozens more come up like mushrooms."
Parpia also noted the ease with which Web site administrators can dodge filters.
"How many filters can PTCL install?" If a site has no reference to sex in its URL, or address, it's hard to track down and block, he said.
Under pressure from powerful religious parties, Owais Leghari, the information technology minister, last month ordered the Pakistan Telecommunications Co. Ltd. to filter porn sites. Filtering began 10 days ago, said Ather Javed Sufi, a company spokesman.
He said 1,800 sites had been blocked by Sunday. The company regulates private Internet service providers who use its lines.
Internet providers said they feared the filters would slow down the Net, and urged the telecommunications company to upgrade its software.
Pakistan is one of several nations that block Internet sites for religious, political and other reasons.