Brazilian ISPs Block YouTube Access

SÃO PAULO, January 9: YouTube’s troubles in Brazil continue, with two Internet service providers in the country blocking access to the file-sharing site after a local court ordered its closure in response to a scandalous video involving supermodel Daniela Cicarelli.

Last week, a Brazilian court ordered YouTube to cease operations until it removes a celebrity sex video involving Cicarelli, the former fianceof soccer star Ronaldo. The video shows Cicarelli and Brazilian banker Renato Malzoni on a Spanish beach. The pair sued YouTube in September and won an injunction for the video’s removal. YouTube says it has removed the video, but the clip has reportedly been subsequently re-posted by users.

Wire reports indicate the site has been blocked, preventing access by millions of users in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This follows Brasil Telecom’s decision to block the site in other parts of the country. Subscribers of Empresa Brasileira de Telecomunicacoes, however, can still access YouTube.