India OKs Censoring Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo

An anonymous reader writes "An Indian court given the green light for the prosecution of '21 social networking sites.' The list features 10 foreign-based companies, and could affect websites provided by Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Yahoo, and YouTube. The recent development is part of an ongoing argument between the companies and India over whether content should be regulated (read: censored) in the country. The approval was actually made on December 23, 2011, but was only revealed yesterday. India warned these websites it can block them just like China can."

Let them try

[arcite]

Look, unless they filter and censor every single email, text, data stream ect... it is a complete lost cause. This will just spur innovation in finding methods to avoid the censors such as seen in China.

Re:Let them try

[TheReaperD]

In addition, India doesn't have a large military policing the policies of the government and courts. Take away search and social media sites and there'd be a revolt by their own citizens.

Re:Let them try

[redmid17]

They could try to create their own intranet. You really think that all the international companies with outsourced work in India are gonna like that? If the Indian government tried that, it would tank their economy.

Re:Their Country, Their Laws: Mind Your Own Busine

[ElBeano]

Sure, let Indians have their say, but don't expect us to shut up and mind our own business. The world is far too small for that now. I'm pretty sure many Indians don't agree with you.

The end of the social bubble

[koan]

Each region will censor social sites then no doubt create their own sites leaving no truly World wide social sites, perhaps even so far as to create walled gardens for each region with little crosstalk in social, commerce, or informational sites.

Re:Their Country, Their Laws: Mind Your Own Busine

[methamorph]

Really, if you are not Indian, it doesn't concern you. Stay out of other people's internal affairs.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came%E2%80%A6 [wikipedia.org]
First they came for the communists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.

Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.

Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Re:Their Country, Their Laws: Mind Your Own Busine

[K. S. Kyosuke]

Really, if you are not Indian, it doesn't concern you. Stay out of other people's internal affairs.

If I saw my neigbour abusing his wife, I'd probably call the police and not claim that it's "someone else's internal affair". If there are people there in India who suffer for some reason, you can't expect me to feel indifferent.

Re:Their Country, Their Laws: Mind Your Own Busine

[sanman2]

Anonymous Coward wrote:

"It's crazy that slashdot and other people have some notion of western free speech that is universal and ingrained in human nature. Why is it so strange that other people in other places might have a different idea than you about censorship? Really, if you are not Indian, it doesn't concern you. Stay out of other people's internal affairs."

I'm Indian - who the hell are you to speak for all of us, and tell others not to comment? Anyone can comment on anything they like. It's called Freedom, and you seem to be ignorant of the concept. You wouldn't happen to be a Supreme Court Justice, would you? Why don't you post under your real name, instead of as an Anonymous Coward?

In police states like Pakistan and China, the courts are used to harass and suppress political opponents. Now you'd like that to happen in India, too. And you're defending this by manufacturing some kind of pretext based on cultural differences?

Get stuffed and get lost.

Re:Let them try

[Anonymous Coward]

Bullshit! Look I've lived in both US and India (born there , now US citizen). Yes, US has issues, but there is no way you can compare India and US. I was born in poor class Indian family and if I was there, there was no way I would have gotten proper education and lived a decent life. If you have money in india, yes you can live a luxury life by bribing your way out (corruption is part of every day life there!). But if you want to make something of yourself from nothing, USA is still world apart (haven't lived in Europe so don't know much about it). But people who think there is not much difference between USA and India should go live there for few months. Yes, there is lots of drama in US news TV, but at the end of the day, even if you are poor there is respect to human life here. If you are not rich in India, you are pretty much worse than an animal. I'm not an american apologist, America has lots of flaws and issues, but there is no way you can compare it with India/China. Of course, that does not mean we all should be happy, there is always room for improvement. I do not ever want life in USA come anywhere closer to that of India (and I'm not talking about money, just respect for a human being).