JOIN USJio bans popular porn sites in India
Popular Internet Service Provider (ISP) Jio may lose some users after the company blocked a number of major porn sites in response to a Uttarakhand High Court order.
PTI reported that the government has directed ISPs to block 827 websites that host pornographic content following the order.
Jio users have been complaining since Oct. 23 about pages on porn sites that are not loading or showing an error message. The ban includes sites like XVideos and Pornhub.
Discussions about "alternatives" have already begun and this could have an impact on Jio unless competitors follow their lead. The alternatives include browsers that circumvent the ban by changing VPN servers. Since getting a new SIM is relatively effortless, some people may just switch.
Porn ban: Don't believe in 'totalitarian state', says Centre
While the Uttarakhand High Court has asked to block 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT found 30 portals without pornographic content, according to the PTI report. The court order issued on Sept. 27, 2018, was received by the ministry on Oct. 8.
In 2015, the DoT had directed ISPs to block a total of 857 websites which was withdrawn later. That directive had sparked debates on social media and the order was described as a move towards full-fledged internet censorship.