New law makes blocking adult websites harder

The Times of India notes that the Indian government has relinquished its power to block websites over obscenity.

In a little-noticed fallout of the recent amendment to the Information Technology (IT) Act 2000, the government has given up the power to block pornographic websites purely on the ground of obscenity. Sites like Savita Bhabi, in other words, can no longer be banished from the virtual world merely because they don't conform to a babu's subjective moral view. Now, the courts alone can block such sites.

This is because Section 69A, which came into effect on October 27, 2009 has raised the bar for the executive power to block porn websites. The government can still block such websites, but only if they create a "public order" problem -- an unlikely probability. Savita Bhabi, for instance, can hardly start a riot.

So does this mean the official Savita Bhabhi site will no longer be blocked by Indian ISPs? The Times article doesn't say exactly. But this change in law is a positive step.

Censorship of Savita Bhabhi

The government of India wants to block its country's netizens from viewing Savita Bhabhi, the sexy online comic book. WTF? And here's the crazy part -- they're claiming it is a national security issue.

With her ample bosom, skimpy sari and mischievous grin, Savita Bhabhi, India’s first and only online cartoon porn star, might not look like a threat to national security. But the country’s Government has made the fictional housewife seductress the first target of new laws, passed after last year’s terror attacks on Mumbai, that allow the authorities to block dangerous websites.

For those in the corridors of power, however, Savita’s promiscuity was no laughing matter. Last month the Government ordered internet service providers to block the site. To do so it evoked section 67 of the Information Technology Act. The law allows the Government to ban websites that threaten “the sovereignty or integrity of India, defence and security of the state” or that endanger “friendly relations with foreign states”.

Campaigners for Savita’s reinstatement hope to use India’s freedom-of-information laws to uncover who demanded that the site be blacklisted.

Others have sought solace in the failure of other countries to police the web. The columnist Venkatesan Vembu said: “The government ban is about as impotent as Savita Bhabhi’s workaholic, sexually clueless husband, and as her growing legion of fans has discovered, there are ways of getting around the ban by using proxy, anonymiser websites that cover your tracks.”

Censorship stinks, and this case is truly ridiculous. Sexy humor is not terrorism!

Savita Bhabhi ban started June 3

According to this Indian news report, the ban on Savita Bhabhi dates back to June 3, 2009.

The Union ministry of information technology banned the pornographic comic-strip website on June 3 without an official announcement or notification.

"We are talking to our lawyers and trying to figure out our options," savitabhabhi.com administrator Deshmukh told xbiznewswire.com. "The initial reaction is that since the site does not pose any threat to India's national security and is not illegal, it must be against international law to block it. However, we are still working on the legal angle."

Under the recently amended IT Act, the government can ban websites that do not subscribe to norms of public decency and morality on the web.

A senior IT ministry official told DNA, "The site was banned in the first week of June under the act. This is not censorship."

Hello, how is this not censorship?!? Banning a website (or a book or any other information source) is the very definition of censorship.