Prasenjeet Dutta has a good link-filled post on the Indian Government trying to censor and shutdown dissent on the internet, by blocking some of the Yahoo Groups - I guess it is freedom for only the government-approved groups on the internet and silence for the rest.
The ChaosZone! BlogDear Government of India, if you must censor the Internet, can you please do with a bit more style and technical savvy? Maybe by spending a bit of money asking Cisco to build you a decent firewall? Hamhanded efforts like these to censor Internet access kinda kill India’s rep as a “software superpower”. Maybe you can get cybersavvy folk like SM Krishna or Chandrababu Naidu to consult before writing dumb memos like these? Yours very sincerely, a scandalized Indian Internet User.Posted by shanti at September 21, 2003 8:41 AM
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That’s ridiculous. I visited the group and read many of the messages… due to security concerns it may be justified for the govt. to closely scrutinize this group. But the Meghalayans should have a right to say whatever they want. If they hate the Indian govt., they shouldn’t be stopped from posting to a Yahoo group to express their displeasure.
Moreover, even if the govt bans this group, how hard would it be for the Meghalayans to organize a new Yahoo group under a different name? Would the govt. keep up with these changes and issue blocking orders ad infinitum?
Posted by: Gokul at September 22, 2003 9:51 AM
Exactly, Gokul - this is vindictive censorship pure and simple - if we keep quiet just because they are doing it to the Meghalayans, we shouldn’t be surprised when they come after someone we like next.
Posted by: Shanti at September 22, 2003 10:27 AM
That Govt. order had me ROTFL.
Posted by: JK at September 22, 2003 12:17 PM
I agree, JK - it was pretty childish :)
Posted by: Shanti at September 22, 2003 12:24 PM