Blocking of Internet sites in India

Indian bloggers are railing against censorship after reports that the Indian government has instructed Internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to blogs on blogspot.com and typepad.com, and to Web sites on GeoCities, as a security measure in the wake of the Jul. 11 Mumbai train bombings.

Indian government officials have reportedly admitted to ordering three or four sites that host blogs to be blocked. Bloggers are convinced that as many as 22 sites are being blocked, and blame both the government and ISPs for the "censorship".

The Indian government thinks that blocking 22 Web sites will reduce the chances on future terrorism. However, the ISPs were incompetent as they produced glitches when blocking the sites.

Bloggers quickly posted instructions on how to circumvent the alleged blocks at a wiki called Bypassing the Ban in India, while a website called India Censored devoted to the issue has been created by a member of the Google Bloggers Collective.

While there is some confusion as to whether the Indian Government has ordered the sites to be blocked, bloggers are incensed at the perceived violation to their rights.

Some bloggers are even threatening to take the Indian government to the Indian Supreme Court as they believe the government actions were undemocratic and infringe their right to freedom of expression.

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,39376838,00.htm

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