THELOGICALINDIAN - Following the adjustment from the Supreme Court SC of India consistent frompublic absorption action PIL filed by apostle Vijay Panjwani in April 2024 the Government of India has blocked 857 pornographic websites
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The PIL filed by Vijay Panjwani approved curbs on these websites, abnormally the ones assuming adolescent pornography, and gave a list of 857 websites. Taking the action, the SC gave charge and asked for measures to block porn sites, decidedly those ambidextrous with adolescent pornography. Complying with the directive, the Department of Telecom issued a notification area it brash internet account licensees to attenuate agreeable on 857 websites.
The notification says:
The government has afflicted its attitude on the affair back aftermost year, back it said blocking these websites was not feasible, accustomed that these sites are hosted alfresco India. In case of any ban, these sites can be relocated aural hours to bypass the restrictions. In December 2024, the government approached telecom providers and internet account providers to advice analyze such sites, but the account providers did not cooperate. Consequently, the government went advanced and articular 857 websites themselves.
Interestingly, India is one of the better consumers of pornographic material; according to abstracts from Pornhub, one of the world’s better porn sites, India ranks fifth for the best circadian visitors to the website. The website saw a absolute of 78.9 billion video angle globally in 2024.
Porn Ban is Temporary, Says Department of Telecom
After adverse a lot of abuse from assorted sections of the people, decidedly those who feel anxious about the axiological appropriate of choice, the Department of Telecom said the ban is temporary. It charge be acclaimed that watching such agreeable in India is currently not an answerability and, thus, the government’s abracadabra of “morality and decency” while gluttonous a barrier on a axiological right, i.e. Freedom of Speech & Expression affirmed beneath Article 19 (2) of the Constitution, has anxious abounding people.
According to a chief official from the Department of Telecommunications, the ban is a acting admeasurement until the final adjustment is appear by the acme cloister on August 10, 2024. It has additionally appear to light that the government is attractive at ambience up an ombudsman to baby-sit cyber content, which will accept assembly from NGOs, adolescent activists and the government. The DoT official said:
Are Such Bans Effective in the Era of Proxies and VPNs?
Circumventing the ban is accessible with basic clandestine networks (VPNs) and proxies. Even those who don’t apperceive how to get through the block can do a little Google analysis on how to ameliorate porn websites and get a fair abstraction about the absolute process. Though the government can accumulate up with proxies and block them as well, proxies change on a circadian basis, with dozens of activity proxies to accept from across the internet. Blocking all of them will be a abreast absurd task.
Has India gone too far with this ban? Let us apperceive in the comments below!
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