This Article is From Dec 06, 2011

Storm after Facebook, Google asked to screen content

Storm after Facebook, Google asked to screen content
New Delhi: Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal will today explain that his recent requests to companies like Google and Facebook are not an attempt at censorship. What the government reportedly wants is for these companies to monitor user content and prevent offensive material from being posted online. Mr Sibal met with representatives of Yahoo, Google and Facebook yesterday in Delhi and asked that the firms use personnel to monitor and remove content, provoking strong headlines and an angry discussion on Twitter.

Defending what the government has asked for, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said objections have been raised to "Illegal, defamatory or pornographic material."

When asked about accusations that the government could be stepping upon the right to free speech, Mr Singhvi responded, "Your arm swing must not connect with my nose."

According to different newspapers today, Mr Sibal at his meeting yesterday showed executives material online that could be inflammatory; other content was obscene and defamatory.

The representatives from the companies at the meeting reportedly said that they could not immediately offer the solution Mr Sibal asked for.

The New York Times reported yesterday that six weeks ago, Mr Sibal met with representatives from companies like Yahoo and Microsoft. The report claimed, "At the meeting, Mr. Sibal showed attendees a Facebook page that maligned the Congress Party's president, Sonia Gandhi. "This is unacceptable," he told attendees.

The report says that at another meeting last months, the minister insisted that human beings be used to screen content instead of technology.
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