Government asks Internet service providers to block over 800 porn sites
Monday, 3 August 2015|
Hardik Bhawsar
Late last week the buzz was around how service providers had started blocking some porn sites. Now, the news has it that the govenment had sent orders to ISPs to block over 850 porn websites.
Citing a source related to the matter, The Economic Times report states, “The telecom department sent an order to block 857 websites late on Friday. That is probably why only few ISPs have blocked these over the weekend.”
The report also adds that ‘the industry was not completely willing to help the government to block porn until it comes up with clearer definitions around what can be blocked and what cannot’.
Last week, a Reddit India thread, disclosed strong reaction from netizens on porn websites being inaccessible and are either showing a blank page or the message, “The site has been blocked as per the instructions of Competent Authority.”
Users of MTNL, BSNL and ACT broadband have claimed that porn websites aren’t opening on their systems whereas Airtel, Tata Photon and cable internet users are not facing any such issues. According to Legally India, on one of Delhi’s broadband providers Spectranet, 11 out of the world’s 13 most popular porn sites were inaccessible.
When we tried verifying it on an MTNL Mumbai connection and popular sites such as Pornhub and Youporn would not open. It seemed like the service provider had blocked sites with terms such as ‘porn’ in its title.
According to a Supreme Court order, adults watching porn in the confines of their home is not a crime. In fact Chief Justice HL Dattu has even gone to the extent to say that it violates the Right to Personal Liberty.
According to this report in The Hindu, Chief Justice HL Dattu had said, “Such interim orders cannot be passed by this court. Somebody may come to the court and say look I am above 18 and how can you stop me from watching it within the four walls of my room. It is a violation of Article 21 [right to personal liberty].”
Citing a source related to the matter, The Economic Times report states, “The telecom department sent an order to block 857 websites late on Friday. That is probably why only few ISPs have blocked these over the weekend.”
The report also adds that ‘the industry was not completely willing to help the government to block porn until it comes up with clearer definitions around what can be blocked and what cannot’.
Last week, a Reddit India thread, disclosed strong reaction from netizens on porn websites being inaccessible and are either showing a blank page or the message, “The site has been blocked as per the instructions of Competent Authority.”
Users of MTNL, BSNL and ACT broadband have claimed that porn websites aren’t opening on their systems whereas Airtel, Tata Photon and cable internet users are not facing any such issues. According to Legally India, on one of Delhi’s broadband providers Spectranet, 11 out of the world’s 13 most popular porn sites were inaccessible.
When we tried verifying it on an MTNL Mumbai connection and popular sites such as Pornhub and Youporn would not open. It seemed like the service provider had blocked sites with terms such as ‘porn’ in its title.
According to a Supreme Court order, adults watching porn in the confines of their home is not a crime. In fact Chief Justice HL Dattu has even gone to the extent to say that it violates the Right to Personal Liberty.
According to this report in The Hindu, Chief Justice HL Dattu had said, “Such interim orders cannot be passed by this court. Somebody may come to the court and say look I am above 18 and how can you stop me from watching it within the four walls of my room. It is a violation of Article 21 [right to personal liberty].”
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