Is The Government Censoring Anti-Congress Websites?

Although the blanket ban on various websites including blogging sites has been officially lifted but the ban is still in place on some sites which the government says contain anti India content but on a closer look the so called anti-India sites simply criticize the congress and its allies. So is this the beginning to a new emergency type era with a ban of freedom of expression on the online community or are we simply heading the china way even after being a democratic country?

India's Department of Telecommunications (DoT) passed an order to ISPs on July 14 to block blog sites, as they were said to be spreading anti-national message. The list of the websites to be blocked was confidential.

The owner of a banned website RahulYadav.com thinks the UPA government has banned the site for political reasons.Exposingtheleft.blogspot.com is one of the four banned blogs on the list has its Sunday post on Congress trying to block a film being made about Sonia Gandhi.

While all the banned sites contain anti-Muslim slash anti-Congress rhetoric but ironically the website of the Hezbollah's TV channel is not only accessible in India it's hosted here as well.

Although the Internet has revolutionized freedom and creativity and all those who believe in freedom and freethinking traditions but our government doesn’t think the same or do not understand technology at all.

Under the Information Technology Act, 2000, a body called the Computer Emergency Response Team, or CERT-IN, was created to oversee Internet censorship under a clause that seeks to ensure 'balanced flow of information.' Any government department seeking a block on any web site has to approach CERT-IN, which then instructs the DoT to block the site after confirming the authenticity of the complaint.

Generally Web sites can be blocked if they contain pornography, speeches of hate, contempt, slander or defamation, or if they promote gambling, racism, violence or terrorism.