Dr Gulshan Rai, director of the Computer Emergency Response Team, the apex organisation under the IT Ministry responsible for the nation's cyber-security, told HT: "There's no attempt to block www.blogspot.com from our side. The order issued by the DoT has four blogs hosted on Blogspot.com. The order didn't ask the whole site to be banned."
Then why isn't any Blogspot site opening on most computers? The answer lies in the way our internet service providers -- like Tata, Airtel, Sify and Reliance -- have implemented the order.
"Indian ISPs don't have the technology to block individual name servers -- say a particular blog hosted on Blogspot. So they had no choice but to block the root servers of major blogging networks -- blogspot, geocities and typepad," said a senior official in the IT Ministry. A senior official from an ISP confirmed this.
> Dr Gulshan Rai, director of the Computer Emergency Response Team, the > apex organisation under the IT Ministry responsible for the nation's > cyber-security, told HT: "There's no attempt to block www.blogspot.com > from our side. The order issued by the DoT has four blogs hosted on > Blogspot.com. The order didn't ask the whole site to be banned."
> Then why isn't any Blogspot site opening on most computers? The answer > lies in the way our internet service providers -- like Tata, Airtel, > Sify and Reliance -- have implemented the order.
> "Indian ISPs don't have the technology to block individual name servers > -- say a particular blog hosted on Blogspot. So they had no choice but > to block the root servers of major blogging networks -- blogspot, > geocities and typepad," said a senior official in the IT Ministry. A > senior official from an ISP confirmed this.
GoI/DoT/CERT-In could have write to Blogspot to remove those blogs which are threat to nation's security. Blogspot't wouldn't have declined any such requests from a democratic country like India.
> GoI/DoT/CERT-In could have write to Blogspot to remove those blogs > which are threat to nation's security. Blogspot't wouldn't have > declined any such requests from a democratic country like India.
> GoI/DoT/CERT-In could have write to Blogspot to remove those blogs > which are threat to nation's security. Blogspot't wouldn't have > declined any such requests from a democratic country like India.
What does this mean? I don't get it. You think the Govt should have written to Blogspot to remove some apparently offending blogs, and that Blogspot should have and would have followed suit? Because India is a democracy? This makes no sense to me.
I would not support such a request to Blogspot, and if one went through I would hope blogspot would say "Not on your life!" Democracy or no democracy.
If GoI can ask google to remove parliment and premises from google earth, they can definitely ask blogspot to remove a blog posing threat to Nation. Not learned any lessons from china yet?
> GoI/DoT/CERT-In could have write to Blogspot to remove those blogs which > are threat to nation's security.
Exactly what it should have been done, either by GoI/DoT/CERT-In or by ISPs
Blogspot't wouldn't have declined any such requests from a democratic
> country like India.
That is their question, failing to above request, ISPs could at least have some reason to block whole domain, on the other hand blogspot would have gone in legal battle.
Dilip, not what I think is being idnciated that GoI/DoT/CERT-In SHOULD have contacted Google and requested them to "freeze" access to those sites hosted on blogger platform. The US gov has done this for numerious sites based on felonies and criminal activities !!
Any yes, google will take it down because its in voliation of the TOS.. read the caevaerts in the TOS !!
/pd wrote: > Any yes, google will take it down because its in voliation of the TOS.. > read the caevaerts in the TOS !!
Of course, indulging in some actual criminal activity would be helpful. Looking at some of the blocked sites, one is left scratching one's chin about what is so illegal about stuff like this:
-- Tony Snow just flat b!tch slapped the wicked witch of the East in todays press conference. Transcript coming.
-- So, yes.. My life is extremely boring! Nothing too exciting to post today. The 2nd 1/2 of my spring break was a lot of fun.. I went and stayed w/ Stopher and his family in Houston. Went to Galveston to the beach and rode the ferry. Went to the rodeo and saw Pat Green. Then stood around at a family gathering that his mom's side of the family had. It was like a senior citizen convention. Break out the dominoes and pour some beer! Anyway, good times! I went back to Arlington on Sunday to eat dinner w/ Melbany.. IHOP.. yummy! :) Made it to class this week.. 2 days in a row. Go Kim! Anyway.. Nothing exciting happening now. I just got done kicking Stopher's ass at Solitaire Showdown. But when do I not? :) j/k. I've got a huge test to study for so I'm out! Peace, Love, and Salsa. --
Raj Nair wrote: > Blogspot't wouldn't have declined any such requests from a democratic country like > India.
Oh wow, I learn something new every day. Pray tell, why in the world would blogspot entertain a request like that? Also, wouldn't it be insanely silly if a nation of one billion people asks a piddly little company somewhere in the US to block a,b,c,d, and e.blogspot.com because it didn't like what was written?
A nation with 1.3 billion population asked yahoo to get them all emails of their citizen named Shi Tao, google for the rest of the story.
May be China was running out of self-respect then ;)
And please read ToS of blogspot, you don't need one billion people to bring a blog down, an email notifying ToS violation is quite enough. If CERT noticed any such sites, that should have been the first step. If it fails to work out, they have every right to block/order a block of content provider ie. blogspot.com
> GoI/DoT/CERT-In could have write to Blogspot to remove those blogs > which are threat to nation's security. Blogspot't wouldn't have > declined any such requests from a democratic country like India.
I think the important question here is about who decides what constitutes a threat to national security. And, how does the person whose website is being blocked defend himself. There is important issues of free speech here. Suppose I criticize Manmohan Singh tomorrow, would my critique constitute a threat to national security? Who watches the watchers?
