.

 

When it was pointed out in these columns on the 18th that Yahoo groups had been blocked by Dishnet, it was more an amusing reflection of what was believed to be an error about to be set right once it was brought to the notice of the relevant authorities. It was also presumed that it was a mistake of Dishnet DSL as an ISP.

However a week further down it appears that the blocking of the groups.yahoo.com domain has not only remained but has extended to the whole of India. It is no longer an issue of an ISP's over zealous reaction to a shabby order from a division of the GOI but a larger issue of "Freedom of Speech" and a Gross Ignorance of the consequences of the said order on the part of  GOI and its expert arm CERT-IND."

Naavi had already sent an e-mail to the Secretary of the MOC&I on 18th itself. Subsequently many news papers have carried articles on the said incident and some have even sent e-mails to the Minister of IT, Mr Arun Shourie. We can therefore presume that the authorities responsible for the blocking are now aware that their order has blocked all groups in the groups.yahoo.com and their inaction can only be taken to mean that either they are not concerned or they approve of the blocking.

It is time that we bring to the notice of authorities that groups.yahoo.com consists of probably nearly a million different groups each consisting of several members. It is difficult to presume that any mature internet user is not a member of at lest one of the yahoo groups. It is safe to presume that at least 60 % if Indian Netizens may be members of some group or other.

The interests represented by the yahoo groups are as varied as what Internet represents. The number of existing groups in different categories given below gives a fair idea of the extent of popularity of the yahoo groups. (P.S:Not all the groups mentioned here are Indian groups).

The "Groups" is an important activity of the Cyber Society and is fundamental to the nature of the society. It helps people from different parts of the globe to exchange views and collaborate in highly useful activities both to the Cyber Society and the physical society.

There is no doubt that in this huge universe of groups there will be some groups which will contain adult material and also anti India propaganda. In fact the reason attributed to the blocking of the offending group "kynhun" is that it had information which was against the interests of the country.

It must however be remembered that the said Kynhun group has only 143 members to date (up from around 25 when the blocking was ordered) and is totally irrelevant in the context of the above million plus groups. If all Indian residents are to be blocked access to  the million plus groups for some information posted in the said Kynhun group, it is like closing the Internet because there is one LeT site.

Words do not describe the utter foolishness of the exercise to block the entire yahoo groups domain for the sake of kynhun group which has become popular only because of the blocking than for its content.

At a time when GOI is offering mobile phones in the terrorist infested J&K knowing fully well that this will lead to several more innocent civilians being massacared,  the blocking of yahoo group appears totally out of place. The international community will be laughing at the credibility of those who have ordered the blocking and doubt the capability of the country to call itself the IT super power in the making.

The ISP s which must have technically qualified persons within their ranks should also take part of the blame because they have failed to block the specific group without blocking the entire domain. Since these were the same ISPs who once suggested that Yahoo and MSN should be blocked because of the Internet telephony services run by them may have some vested interest in discrediting the Yahoo groups site and removing it from the Indian Cyber Space.

It is pertinent to note that  despite pointing out many times, the GOI has not taken any steps to block India Times clubs section where pornography sites proliferate, but shown undue haste and immaturity in blocking the yahoo groups site.

Na.Vijayashankar

September 25, 2003

Related Articles:

The Hindu Business Line:

Govt issues orders to ISPs — `Block separatist outfit's e-group'

Economic Times:  Yahoo website blocked

 Naavi.org:

Yahoo Groups Blocked by Dishnet

Blocking of Terrorist Sites by ISP s

Respond? or React? An E-Governance Dilemma 

Censorship of the Net is already here in India??? 

Interception of Communication under ITA-2000, CCB-2002 (Proposed) and POTA-2002

Regulation -By the Netizens, For the Netizens and Of the Netizens. 

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