This is not the first time that internet freedom in India has been under attack. Just this April, our government issued incredibly restrictive rules that gives it the power to take down any site under vague pretexts like curtailing blasphemy or protecting national security. But this new rule would make internet censorship so much worse – it forces internet providers to remove content before it’s ever seen by the public. This is extreme by any standard -- even many dictatorships grant more internet freedom than this.
Our government claims that this policy will protect India from material that may hurt religious diversity, and from terrorists who may use the internet to organize. But we know that internet censorship also allows the government toclamp down on the right to dissent, organize, and stand up for our rights – a keystone of any real democracy.
India has 55 million registered internet users, and together we can ensure that we’re a voice Sibal and his allies can’t ignore.
Our government claims that this policy will protect India from material that may hurt religious diversity, and from terrorists who may use the internet to organize. But we know that internet censorship also allows the government toclamp down on the right to dissent, organize, and stand up for our rights – a keystone of any real democracy.
India has 55 million registered internet users, and together we can ensure that we’re a voice Sibal and his allies can’t ignore.
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