MUMBAI, India -- The Indian government has taken on pornography in its latest Internet clampdown, sparking debates about individual liberties: Its Department of Telecommunications ordered ISPs to block access to 857 websites that host adult or pornographic content.
The move comes even as the Supreme Court of India is hearing a case on banning access to porn sites. During a hearing last month, Chief Justice HL Dattu had refused to pass an interim order to ban the websites, citing the constitution and the right to personal liberty.
“Such interim orders cannot be passed by this court. Somebody may come to the court and say, 'look I am above 18 and how can you stop me from watching it within the four walls of my room.'"
With this latest move, however, the government compiled a list of 857 websites, which it ordered ISPs to block temporarily.
The news of the block first became public via a Reddit post over the weekend. Soon after, #PornBan started trending on Twitter with many criticizing the government's move as a violation of their right to freedom of expression. Many celebrities, including Bollywood filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and author Chetan Bhagat, speaking out against the ban.
All countries which legalised porn advanced for instance America not becos of Porn but indicative of giving respect to individual's Liberty
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 3, 2015
What was said in Supreme Court of America in Larry flynt case "If you don't like porn don't watch but you can't stop who wants to watch it" — Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 3, 2015
What was said in Supreme Court of America in Larry flynt case "If you don't like porn don't watch but you can't stop who wants to watch it"
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 3, 2015
And I think the government will direct couples on their positions and instruct them on the do's and dont's ..This for sure will b next step — Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 3, 2015
Porn ban is anti-freedom, impractical, not enforceable. Politically not very smart too. avoidable. Let's not manage people's private lives.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 3, 2015
Don't ban porn. Ban men ogling, leering, brushing past, groping, molesting, abusing, humiliating and raping women. Ban non-consent. Not sex. — Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 3, 2015
Xvideos.com, one of the blocked sites on the list, also took to Twitter to make its stance clear on the government's actions.
Porn ban in India / XVideos blocked http://t.co/9enwlSBpKk Vote better next time!— XVIDEOS.COM (@xvideoscom) August 3, 2015
Also swept up in the ban were humor websites as well as the video subdomain of the popular humor site 9Gag, which features adult humor videos, mostly not safe for work. (One features a life-size Darth Vader made out of sex toys.)
It is highly unlikely, however, that the block will be completely effective since the ISPs are merely banning URLs and so the ban can be circumvented through proxies or VPNs.
The list of all 857 websites blocked by the government of India in its porn crackdown is embedded below.