Govt weaves a web of censorship

Sibal asks Google, FB to check offensive content on their social sites

Net-savvy politicians strongly opposed what they see as censorship in the world’s largest democracy.

“I suggested that these platforms should evolve a mechanism on their own to ensure that such contents are removed as soon as they get to know of it... I have told them that this cannot go on. I believe that no reasonable person, aware of the sensibilities of a large section of the communities in this country, would wish to see this in the public domain,”
Communications and IT Minister Kapil Sibal told reporters here.

Sibal maintained that government did not want to interfere with the press, but if the social networking sites did not cooperate with the government to check such material from going on their web space, “then it is the duty of the government to think of steps that we need.”
“This government does not believe in sensation and does not believe either directly or indirectly interefering in the freedom of the press. We have demonstrated that time and again,” he said.

Sibal further said the content posted on some of the internet sites was highly objectionable and can hurt religious sentiments of different communities in the country.

Sibal revealed that in September he met with executives from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo over last few weeks after offensive material against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was put on the net.

The minister revealed that in September internet firms were asked to develop methods to check such contents within four weeks, however, government got no response despite repeated reminders.