Where is the balance between “free flow of information” and “national security” ?
According to the Indian government, it means having to block 200 web pages that stand accused of having “incited communal violence in the northeast of the country where fighting between Muslim settlers and local tribal group in the state of Assam.”
Twitter could also be next on the government’s radar with a total block or restricted access. A move which would have a direct effect on 16 million people.
The Indian government has already asked Twitter to block 20 twitter accounts and warned that "appropriate and suitable action" if it failed to remove the accounts as soon as possible.
"Every company, whether it’s an entertainment company, or a construction company, or a social media company, has to operate within the laws of the given country," said Sachin Pilot, minister of state in the Ministry of Communications.
The government says Google and Facebook have largely cooperated while Twitter has been much slower to respond.
In 2011 India’s parliament passed a law that obliges Internet companies to remove a objectionable content when requested to do so. This move was criticised by rights groups and social media companies.
Indian newspapers are reporting that this could mean a total ban on access to Twitter in India however government officials would not confirm.
With China having already taken action to intensely restrict access to the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter, it seems like India may be next to do the same.
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