New Delhi: The Indian government has only ordered the blocking of 20 websites so far this year, a far cry from the hundreds taken off air annually between 2010 and 2018.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) revealed the figure in reply to an RTI query filed by the Delhi-based not-for-profit legal services organisation Software Freedom LawCentre, India (SFLC.In).
In response to another RTI query filed in 2018, MeitY had told the SFLC that 14,221 websites had been blocked since 2010.
“This indicates a significant drop in the number of blocking orders from approximately 1,777 websites per year between 2010 and 2018, to 20 in 2019,” the SFLC stated on its website.
Under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000, the government is allowed to block websites/URLs if they threaten the sovereignty and integrity of the country, foreign relations, public order, and security of the state, among other grounds.
Often, websites are blocked on court orders, many of which are passed in intellectual property right infringement cases.
In cases of non-compliance, the intermediary can be punished with imprisonment of up to seven years and fine.
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Blocking orders ‘strictly confidential’
In its RTI application to MeitY, the SFLC had sought information on the number of websites/URLs currently blocked in India, and those taken off air in 2019. The non-profit had also sought copies of blocking orders issued in 2019.
While the ministry yielded the number, it refused to disclose the orders of blocking, stating that “strict confidentiality” needs to be maintained on requests and complaints received.
To this end, it cited Rule 16 of the Information Technology (Procedures and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules 2009, which calls for confidentiality vis-a-vis complaints, requests and actions taken.
‘India biggest social media content blocker’
India has emerged as one of the most censor-happy countries where content on social media is concerned.
A UK-based technology research firm Comparitech claimed earlier this month that India sent five internet giants 77,620 requests to take down content between July 2009 and July 2018.
According to the survey, requests from India accounted for 19.86 per cent — the highest — of those received by the companies from around the world.
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