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| No internet sex please, we're Indian. Web firms observe new law Yahoo, Flickr and Microsoft introduce access filtersIt may have given the world the Kama Sutra and the Bollywood wet sari scene, but it appears that India is not yet ready to be exposed to the delicate subject of sex on the internet.A Guardian investigation has discovered that several internet companies have quietly introduced filters to prevent Indian users from accessing sexual content.The Yahoo search engine and Flickr photo-sharing site (owned by Yahoo) altered their sites earlier this month to prevent users in India from switching off the safe-search facility. The block also applies to users in Singapore, Hong Kong and Korea.Microsoft has also barred Indian users of its Bing search engine from searching for sexual content. Users who do try to search for sexual material receive a notice informing them that "your country or region requires a strict Bing SafeSearch setting, which filters out results that might return adult content".The clampdown is understood to be in response to recent changes to India's Information Technology Act of 2000, which bans the publication of pornographic material.That law, which is based on a 150-year-old statute (section 292 of the Indian penal code), defines obscenity as "any content that is lascivious and that will appeal to prurient interest or the effect of which is to tend to deprave or corrupt the minds of those who are likely to see, read or hear the same".In October, the scope of the 2000 act was dramatically widened to enable action to be taken against a wide range of providers, from internet search engines and internet service providers to cyber-cafes. Under the new law, they are obliged to exercise due diligence and disable access to any content which contravenes the act. Failure to do so carries a three-year jail sentence and a fine of up to 500,000 rupees (£6,690).Search engine reports suggest that users in India are responsible for more searches for "sex" than those in any other country. Its popular daily newspapers are packed with pictures of young women in states of undress and Bollywood oozes sexuality from every pore.But at the same time it remains a deeply religious country in which traditionalists regularly take violent offence at anything deemed to be too suggestive.The latest attempts to constrain internet users come at a time when the vexed subject of sexual behaviour is once again dominating the domestic headlines.Last week an Indian news channel broadcast video footage of a man said to be the 86-year-old governor of Andhra Pradesh, Narayan Datt Tiwari, in bed with three young women. He quit on Sunday, citing health reasons and still denying that the man in the video was him.Today there was also mixed news for the tens of thousands of fans of India's most popular – and only – cartoon porn star, Savita Bhabhi.The sexual antics of the energetic housewife won her website a daily audience of nearly 200,000 visitors, until it was closed down by the Indian government in June.Now the site is back at a new web address but already it has fallen foul of the Internet Service Providers Association of India, whose president, Rajesh Chharia, warned that it faced closure again because its content was "not acceptable to our culture".No one from Yahoo was available for comment today but a posting on the Flickr website explained that "Flickr is a global community made up of many different kinds of people."What's OK in your backyard may not be OK in theirs. Each one of us bears the responsibility of categorising our own content within this landscape. So, we've introduced some filters to help everyone try to get along."If your Yahoo! ID is based in Singapore, Hong Kong, India or Korea you will only be able to view safe content based on your local terms of service (this means you won't be able to turn SafeSearch off)."FlickrBingYahooCensorshipIndiaGethin Chamberlainguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Inspired Smith makes England toil Captain Graeme Smith hits an unbeaten 162 as South Africa close day three of the third Test against England 330 runs ahead at 312-2. news.bbc.co.uk |
Heavy snow halts planes, trains and cars in Europe BERLIN (AP) -- Europeans were struggling to restore roads and railways Sunday after heavy snow caused hundreds of traffic accidents, halted flights from Germany and France, downed power lines in Poland and trapped more than 160 people overnight on a frozen German highway.... hosted.ap.org |
Guinea leader takes sick leave Captain Moussa 'Dadis' Camara says he is 'willingly taking a period of convalescence' after being shot in the head last monthGuinea's wounded military leader last night gave his strongest indication yet that he will relinquish power in the troubled west African state. Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, head of the junta that seized power just over a year ago, will support a return to civilian rule, the country's military rulers said.Camara, who survived an assassination bid last month, declared that he would take leave of absence to continue his convalescence in Burkina Faso. It was unclear if, and when, he will seek to return.The moves are seen as a major step forward for his embattled country, which diplomats say could have slid into civil war had he returned.Camara's statement said he was "willingly taking a period of convalescence" in light of his health, after being shot in the head in the assassination bid by a former aide.He was seen in public for the first time since the attack when he landed in Burkina Faso on Thursday night after receiving treatment in Morocco. There are reports that when he left hospital on Tuesday, he thought he was going to Conakry, the Guinean capital, and was surprised to find himself in a different country.Burkina Faso's president, Blaise Compaoré, who was helping to mediate between factions inside Camara's military clique, told reporters that Camara has agreed to allow his number two, General Sekouba Konate, to steer the country toward a return to civilian rule.Konate has previously suggested that he would accept a prime minister drawn from the opposition as part of a civilian government. A coalition of opposition and civil society groups last night proposed Jean Marie Dore, their spokesman, or Rabiatou Serah Diallo, a union leader, for the job of prime minister.The opposition, known as les Forces Vives, want Konate to make the final decision over who will lead a transitional government responsible for holding elections and overseeing a return to civilian rule. Sceptics warn that a civilian government could still be under the control of the military council.The BBC reported that Konate, who has been running Guinea since 3 December, had threatened to resign in a row with supporters of Camara. He opened talks with the opposition while Camara was in hospital.There has been speculation that Camara is so badly injured he will be unable to return to office. Opposition leaders said his latest move could be an attempt to buy time in avoiding international prosecution.A UN report held Camara to blame for last September's massacre and rape by security forces of unarmed pro-democracy marchers in the capital, Conakry. It said Camara and some of his adjutants should be referred to the International Criminal Court for "crimes against humanity".The report found that soldiers shoved a gun inside one victim of a gang rape and pulled the trigger, killing her. At least four women were abducted and held for days as sex slaves. Another had her throat slit when she lifted her blindfold.Compaoré is seen as an ally of Camara and could offer him safe haven if an attempt is made to prosecute him. Compaoré was regarded as biased in Camara's favour during his recent mediation efforts between the junta and the opposition.GuineaDavid Smithguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Obama keeps up pressure on China President Obama wants answers on alleged cyber-attacks originating in China on the search giant Google, officials say. news.bbc.co.uk |