The government is likely to ban on Internet a controversial film deemed offensive to Islam that has sparked anti-US protests.
Government officials said efforts are afoot to ban any offending anti-Islam videos which may be uploaded on the Internet and the Computer Emergency Response Team India has been asked to take immediate action.
Raising alarm, the Jammu and Kashmir government has asked the Centre to block the controversial video on social networking sites fearing it could trigger law and problem in the Muslim-majority state.
Government sources said the home ministry has forwarded the request sent by the Jammu and Kashmir government to block all Web pages where the film is available to director-general of Computer Emergency Response Team India for urgent action.
The move to block the offending content online in India comes soon after protests triggered over the anti-Islam film with protesters storming the US consulate in Benghazi in Libya on Tuesday, killing US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. There was similar attack on the US embassy in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Tuesday night.
“The DG CERT-In is looking into the matter and in all probability the Web pages will be blocked soon,” a home ministry official said on Thursday.
Sources said the government agencies do not want to take any chance this time and all sites will closely be monitored by CERT to ensure any inflammable content is not posted online to trigger protests.
The recent social unrest following the ethnic clashes in Assam and morphed images and videos uploaded on the Internet has prompted the government to remain alert to such threats emanating from the cyber world.
On Thursday, protesters stormed the US Embassy compound in Yemen capital Sanaa and burned the American flag.
Taking precautionary measures, the Government has already beefed up security at all US Missions in India including the US embassy here and four of its consulates in Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai and Hyderabad.
The security agencies have been alerted and asked the maintain high vigil in the wake of the recent developments.
Delhi cops seek ATR on YouTube over clips
The criminal liability of YouTube for permitting uploading of defamatory and derogatory videos has again become a legal issue, with a Delhi court on Thursday directing the police to file an action taken report against YouTube for not removing audio-visual clips having defamatory contents against a Christian NGO, Gospel for Asia.
“There are more than hundreds of defamatory and objectionable links in YouTube. Different persons with vested interest uploaded these contents only to conspire to defame the NGO,” the NGO said.
“The NGO Gospel for Asia is a renowned charitable organisation run by Dr K.P. Yohannan, working for people and doing community development projects in more than a dozen countries,” the complainant said.
The counsel for the complainant said the NGO is planning to file a lawsuit against YouTube for a “compensation of Rs 100 crores for hurting the belief and feelings of various followers”.