UPI reports:
"The DoT did not give us reasons; the order just gave us a list of the Web sites to be blocked," said Deepak Maheshwari, secretary of the Internet Service Providers Association of India, adding that some internet service providers that are not equipped to filter specific pages may however block all blogs that carry the same Internet Protocol address even if they were running content not related to the recent blasts.
"I do not think this order impacts the business of ISPs adversely," added Maheshwari.
But even as the ISPs are largely stoic, some have taken exceptions to the crack-down. "It is curbing the fundamental right of freedom of speech," said Desi Valli, technical director, Net4India Ltd, a local ISP. "I do not know how the DoT can block blogging sites technically. Moreover it is not the right mechanism to stop undesirable propaganda."
"(The) Internet after all is an international media, which is an open forum. Even the U.S. with all cutting-edge monitoring equipment has been unable to block all undesirable internet sites," added Vali.
Admittedly, it is difficult to curb blogging by blocking blog Web sites. Media organization like CNN and The Guardian run their own blog sites where these bloggers can move to or, bloggers can continue shifting their server sites and IP addresses.
Security considerations put aside this is a worrisome development for India which has traditionally enjoyed a much freer internet than its Chinese and Pakistani counterparts. India has actively encouraged development of public network infrastructure and mobile technology and is slated to soon be the largest mobile market in the world after China and the United States. Such censorship could do much to dampen this mood. I hope this restriction is temporary at best.
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