Video Pioneers Challenge Pentagon

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- YouTube's co-founders are challenging the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were using too much bandwidth by watching online videos.<br/><br/>That's the main

Thursday, May 17th 2007, 10:15 pm

By: News On 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- YouTube's co-founders are challenging the Pentagon's assertion that soldiers overseas were using too much bandwidth by watching online videos.

That's the main reason the military gave for blocking popular Web sites from Defense Department computers. Company officials doubt that would have any real effect on the military's massive computer network.

And they're puzzled by the block because it came just days after the military launched its own channel on YouTube offering what it calls a "boots-on-the-ground" perspective of scenes of combat.

A new Iraqi government policy implemented this month bans news photographers and camera operators from filming bombing scenes, meaning video taken by citizens and uploaded to YouTube could become the only imagery the public sees of such devastation.