In the past couple of years, we’ve seen instances of Internet censorship grow in India. From Sibal’s suggestion for pre-screening web content to Anonymous (known to stand for online freedom) protesting across the nation and taking down sites, we’ve seen it all. Now, a new report by a US-based organisation called Freedom House has revealed that India has faced the sharpest single-year decline in web freedom around the world in 2013 among the 60 countries included in the study. The score has risen even more in the past year from 39 to 47 points (higher score indicates more censorship). The report states that in 2013 the Internet freedom in India suffered interruptions of mobile and Internet service to limit unrest, several blocks on content during rioting in northeastern states, and there has also been an increase in the filing of criminal charges against ordinary users for posting content on social networks.
Web freedom gone for a toss...
The report cites cases such as the girl arrested in Maharashtra for liking a Facebook post, blocking Twitter accounts belonging to Indian users, court directives that have resulted in blocking of websites and also a general lack of transparency regarding how the Indian government blocks or filters content. In February this year, around 164 sites were blocked in two days, owing to some misguided court orders.
According to the report, "In 2013, the government began transitioning to the secretive "Central Monitoring System" which will potentially empower a wide range of state agencies to access any electronic communication in real-time, without service provider cooperation - though that cooperation is assured under license agrements. Surveillance requires no judicial oversight. While some of this activity might be justifiable, the lack of transparency surrounding the system, which was never reviewed by the parliament, is concerning."
Along with India, the Internet freedom has declined in the US, Brazil and Venezuela. These three countries have recorded a five point rise, while India has seen an eight point rise. It should be noted that in spite of the latest NSA revelations, the report shows Internet in America as “free”.
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