Date:24/07/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/07/24/stories/2006072402401002.htm

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

A futile move

The July 13 order of the Department of Telecommunications to Internet Service Providers to block access to 17 websites, in the wake of the Mumbai blasts, was preposterous. I wonder what the department was trying to achieve! It is common knowledge that techno-savvy bloggers can find ways to access the sites in a very short time. The worldwide web is too large and complex for a government to monitor and control.

Maryann E. Thomas,
Chennai

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The hue and cry over the blocking of a few websites and blogs is unwarranted. Freedom of expression does not mean freedom to perpetrate untruth.

S. Venkatesan,
Chennai

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Unbridled freedom has the power to provoke people. Any irresponsible comment on a blog could have inflamed passions soon after the blasts.

S. Anoop Sivan,
Thiruvananthapuram

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The issue is not whether the move was necessary or not. With terrorism spreading its tentacles, greater surveillance and proactive measures are inevitable. And censorship is not anathema to our democratic principles.

The only concern is about the manner in which the whole exercise was carried out. The clampdown on the free speech of an intellectually vibrant society was unreasonable and uncalled for.

The Government has failed to provide a convincing reason for such a move. Nor has it produced sufficient evidence to justify its act. The arbitrary action was clearly against all democratic norms.

Seema Sarath,
Ernakulam, Kerala