The government on Monday clarified that its move to ban 857 adult content websites, which has kicked up a storm on the social media, is ‘temporary’ and was in response to the Supreme Court’s directions to address the menace of pornography, especially child pornography.
The Telecom Department is working on a long term policy, which could include the setting up of a regulatory body or an ombudsman, to regulate such sites, a top ministry source briefed reporters.
“What we have done is temporary.... The government is acting purely on the Supreme Court observation that government needs to take stand on the issue of blocking of pornography websites in the country, especially child pornography.... Free and open access to such content is an issue,” the source said.
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While hearing a PIL petition by advocate Kamlesh Vashwani to block porn websites in India, Chief Justice H.L. Dattu, in July, had remarked, “The issue is definitely serious and some steps need to be taken. The Centre is expected to take a stand…let us see what stand the Centre will take,” and had directed the government to reply in four weeks.
The next hearing in the Supreme Court for this matter is scheduled on August 10.
In a late night communication to Internet services providers on Friday, the government had said the service providers should control “open and free” access to the identified 857 websites as an “interim measure” to protect the Indian cultural fabric and prevent gross misuse of technology, another source said.
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The source added this will not violate right to personal liberty as being debated as adults will still be able to access the sites using virtual private networks (VPNs) or proxy servers.
“The government must be away from the whole process (dealing with obscene/explicit content online)… One of the ideas is to set up a regulatory body or let there be an ombudsman to take a call on such issues,” the sources said.