Arya Samaj

Shishya · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 3:06 pm Post subject: Internet Censorship in India?

India Bloggers Angry at Net Ban
by
Soutik Biswas
BBC News, Delhi

India's burgeoning blogging community is up in arms against a government directive that they say has led to the blocking of their web logs.

The country's 153 Internet service providers (ISP) have blocked 17 websites since last week on federal government orders. Some of these sites belong to Google's Blogspot, a leading international web log hosting services. Indian bloggers say that the decision is an attack on freedom of speech.

A number of them have filing petitions under the country's new landmark freedom of information law which gives citizens the right to access information held by the government. Bloggers say the ban has meant that people do not even have access to blogs like the one set up to help the relatives of the victims of the recent train bombings in Mumbai, www.mumbaihelp.blogspot.com.

Angry

The government is not saying why it has banned each of the sites in its latest notification. This has incensed Indian bloggers even more.

"We want answers. Has the government goofed? Or is really talking censorship? With all our problems in India I was naive enough to feel that I was always free to express myself," writes blogger Dina Mehta.

Writer Dilip D' Souza, who authors a blog, says there's a "groundswell" of anger over the government decision. "The government of my country does what governments find so easy: ban, block, censor," he writes.

Blogger Amit Agarwal bemoans on his site that India has "joined the Internet Filtering Club of China, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Ethiopia".

"If the access to restricted websites is not restored in a day or two, this issue is sure to gather active momentum in the Western blogosphere."

Technology consultant Abhishek Bakshi, who authors a blog, has filed two petitions under the freedom of information laws demanding answers from the government on the reasons behind the move. "Is there a directive to block entire blog hosting services? Isn't this is a violation of our freedom of speech," he wonders.

But a spokesman for India's Internet Service Providers Association says that not all the ISPs have blocked blog sites. "I have personally checked through different ISPS and logged on to many blogging sites, apart from the ones which have been specifically banned by the government," says Deepak Maheshwari, secretary of the association.

A government official has also said there has been no blanket ban on blogging hosts like Blogspot. "The government order has four blogs under blogspot.com. The order didn't ask the whole site to be banned," Gulshan Rai of India's state-run Computer Emergency Response Team told reporters. This does not placate bloggers like Sailesh Bharatwasi, 23, who says he has not been able to blog due to the ban. "I am very tense and angry. We write so that people can read us. The ban is cutting us off from the people," he says.

A federal government notification of July 2003 says it can ban websites in the interest of:

sovereignty or integrity of India
security of the state
friendly relations with foreign states public order
preventing incitement to commissioning of any cognizable offences.

The sites that have been banned include ones with right-wing Hindu affinities and an anti-Communist one. At least four of them are on the Blogspot hosting service.

This is not the first time that the government has ordered the blocking of websites since its notification three years ago. Two years ago, the government blocked a site under a popular message group saying it was indulging in "anti-national activity".

"It has happened a few times in the past, particularly blocking of pornographic sites. But this is the single largest lot of sites to be blocked," says Puneet Tiwari, deputy director of Internet Service Providers Association of India.

Internet professionals and lawyers believe that blocking sites really serves no purpose in a large country like India with an increasingly thriving blogging community. "The ISPs can block a specific site, but the person who runs it can easily tweak its name a bit and return," says Mr Tiwari.

There are an estimated 50 million Internet users in India, according to ISP industry estimates. Only seven million people subscribe to the Internet, of which 1.5 million receive broadband services.

(Source)

EDITORIAL NOTE: Other banner sites include:

www.hinduunity.org
exposingtheleft.blogspot.com
pajamaeditors.blogspot.com
commonfolkcommonsense.blogspot.com
www.hinduhumanrights.org/hindufocus.html
princesskimberley.blogspot.com

Sunita · Arya Ladies Forum Moderator Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 567

Its about time!!!

Shishya · Posted: Wed Jul 19, 2006 8:10 pm Post subject:

Namaste Sunita,

Do you really think it's a good thing that the Indian government banned access to these sites? I know a few of them have questionable content, but 'Mumbai Help'? It seems to me like they are trying to limit free speech unnecessarily. Or is free speech OK as long as you don't criticise the government or Muslims? Free speech is free speech - either you have it or you don't. And it looks like the Indians just lost it as far as the internet is concerned.
_________________
Namaste,

Shishya
ॐ

ॐ सह नावतु । सह तौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
"Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another."
-Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads

Sunita · Arya Ladies Forum Moderator Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 567

Sorry for replying so late. when i post my comments i was coming from a mother's point of view. When i was younger i saw things differently but as a grown up, i just don't want our indian heritage to die. We are special because our beliefs are different from the west. Long live Bharat maata ki!!! Sorry for my hindi...its been a long time.
_________________
Namaste!

(1) If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it. William Arthur Ward

(2) The self is not something ready-made, but something in continuous formation through choice of action.John Dewey:

(3) Andre Gide: Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.

Shishya · Posted: Sat Jul 29, 2006 10:11 pm Post subject:

Namaste Sunita,

Yes, I agree as long as they are banning pornography sites and things like that. But to ban blogs for letting people express political views is a little too far in my opinion.
_________________
Namaste,

Shishya
ॐ

ॐ सह नावतु । सह तौ भुनक्तु । सह वीर्यं करवावहै । तेजस्वि नावधीतमस्तु मा विद्विषावहै ॥
"Together may we be protected. Together may we be profited. Together may we do a hero's work. May we learn intelligently. May we never hate one another."
-Brihadaranyaka & Taittiriya Upanishads

Sunita · Arya Ladies Forum Moderator Joined: 24 May 2006 Posts: 567

Shyena · Posted: Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:06 am Post subject:

They banned billions of blogs... later they came out of their crazed mode and banned only a few

I still cant visit dalistan.org where there are many derogatory articles about hinduism..

Deepan Abisuriya · Junior Member Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 66

Namste,

The hindu websites should not be banned. They have to understand that this is one way we hindus discuss even sensitive matters relating to religion, heritage and so on. They should only ban pornography, terorist websites and anti -racial sentiments, than all those intended for freedom of speach.

I f frredom of speach is banned, what constutution are we following?

Namste.
Deepan.