huridocs-tech Indian Government Ban of Net Access to Pakistani Newspaper Broken

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## author     : media@PERMAFROST.COM
## date       : 06.07.99
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Indian Government Ban of Net Access to Pakistani News Broken
Full story at...
http://www.rediff.com/computer/1999/jul/05dawn.htm

July 5, 1999

By Srikant Sreenivasan and Priya Ganapati

Traditionally, Indian government has shown little respect
for the power of the Internet. Now they think that they can
censor it!

Last week India's international Internet gateways blocked
access to http://www.dawn.com, the online news site of
Pakistani daily Dawn. But many are the ways of the Web. You
just have to read your way to the end of this article and we
will show you several bypasses to reach http://www.dawn.com

Who ordered the blockade in the first place?

Videsh Sanchar Nigam Limited is the government owned
international long- distance telecommunications monopoly. It
is also the largest Internet service provider in the country
and controls the international Internet gateways that the
ISPs in India use. Last week its gateways blocked access to
the news site of Dawn, one of the most respected newspapers
of Pakistan.

VSNL Chief Public Relations Officer G C Banik told Rediff
"VSNL has not blocked it (Dawn site) yet. We have not closed
it." When it was pointed out that surfers from India are not
able to reach the Dawn site, Banik suggested that Rediff
could countercheck with the technical department or the CMD
himself.

But VSNL Acting Chairman and Managing Director Amitabh Kumar
told Rediff "Yes. We have blocked the site. But it is under
instruction from higher authorities."

When asked about the legality of the order, Kumar said "We
have done it under the authority given to us by the Indian
Telegraph Act."

However, Kumar refused to either confirm or deny reports
that the Dawn site's blockade was ordered directly by the
Prime Minister's Office.

When Kumar was told how Rediff and surely many other surfers
could easily bypass the blockade with methods like use of
'anonymiser services', he said, "Our personal opinion does
not matter. We are doing it under instructions from higher
authorities."




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