Dina Mehta and other Indian Bloggers are reporting the apparent clampdown of the Indian Government on 12 ‘radical’ websites. Notable among these being Blogger – the popular blog provider for India.
Yes, you read the last one right.
Blogger can no longer be accessed through certain Indian ISPs. The Indian Govt. has painstakingly put together a list of sites, running into twenty-two pages, that must be blocked by all Indian ISPs. Blogger’s one of them
I am speechless. There are so many things, I want to say, but don’t know where to start.
Shivam Vij, tried to contact the authorities seeking a clarification about the issue. He was was made to (virtually) run from pillar to post, and ended up with a curt, “What’s your problem? Someone must have blocked some site. So?” Typical.
A few national dailies took it up and reported it. Hindustan Times and Indian Express each had a story to tell, but it was more of a report than a story. The
Times of India (link not up yet), too had it’s own take on the entire affair. Notice the absolutely moderate, even submissive tone of the reports. It is as if they are trying to distance themselves from the entire fiasco.
Ok, I agree, some of the websites in the list might be classified as fanatic to the extreme. There might even be some Bloggers with extreme religious views. But a blanket ban? Why would anybody want to censor this blog? It’s stupid.
A few years ago, Yahoo! Groups was blocked because they found a few subversive groups using the tool to convey messages to each other. The same blanket ban was enforced even then.
Even if we assume that the websites are guilty of propagating theories and sentiments detrimental to the national interest. Wouldn’t it make much more sense if the owners of these websites were called in for questioning under the same clause? A blanket ban only serves to inconvenience everyone, while helping none.
The dilemma is simple: How far can you stretch the right to express your opinions?
Have the conversations gone a bit too far this time?
Technorati Tags: Blogs, Censorship, Religion
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