It was yesterday on a relaxed Sunday morning that many Indian’s got the shock of their lives. Major Indian ISPs (Internet Service Providers) which includes MTNL, BSNL, Vodafone, ACT and Hathway have banned adult websites completely. Adult websites are no longer accessible through these ISPs since yesterday morning.
The ban was first witnessed on Saturday when a lot of people started getting a blank page when they tried to access adult websites like Pornhub and Redtube. The issue was highlighted on Social media sites like Twitter by fans who were more than devastated by this move.
Reddit also saw a user posting a screenshot of a popular adult website which he tried to access but instead received an error message which said that the website was blocked as per the directions of Indian Department of Telecommunications.
Reports claim that Vodafone users in Delhi and Kolkata have confirmed that the adult websites are not working and they end up on a blank page after repeated attempts. Similar confirmations have come through social media by Hathway users and BSNL users in Chennai and Delhi. The outrage on the ban on social media is enormous, so much that the hashtag #Pornban was trending on Twitter on Sunday morning.Bollywoodfilm director Ram Gopal Verma also went to Twitter to voice his displeasure and disbelief regarding the ban.
The ban seems to be making a complete mockery of Indian Supreme Court’s recent observation that it shall not interfere with adults who want to watch itin their own privacy. The ban is no less than an irony considering the fact that it’s the birthplace of Kamasutra. While there are people who are losing their minds on this ban, there is a debate on whether violent and kinky porn is the reason behind violence and sexism against women.
Some activists are working towards a complete ban on porn especially abusive and child pornography. But then who decides the components of individual freedom is still a topic of debate. A hooping total of 857 websites have been affected by this ban.
Post a ban on Beef & Alcohol in a state, ban onhomosexuality, ban on cuss words in movies, seems like the Indian government is on a SwachhInternetabhiyan this time.
