India clamps down on Facebook, Twitter

[KKNDmx]

NEW DELHI: Beware of what you put in your Facebook messages or your tweets. Your friends and followers may not be the only ones reading them. Chances are government sleuths would be vetting these private messages.

This follows a home ministry directive to the department of telecom, asking it to "ensure effective monitoring of Twitter and Facebook". While "effective monitoring" has not been defined, sources said the MHA's intention is complete surveillance of the sites. This means not only does the government want to keep an eye on tweets and wall posts that are in the public domain but also the content you share only with your friends.

Minister of state for communication and information technology Milind Deora said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha last week that DoT had received a letter from the MHA asking it to monitor networking websites in order to "strengthen the cyber security paraphernalia".

His statement was in response to a question from MP NK Singh.

A senior government official said the home ministry's directive asked DoT to facilitate access to all data in social networking sites for its intelligence agencies.

Sunil Abraham, executive director of Centre for Internet and Society said these "blanket surveillance practices" are counterproductive.

"People advocating greater surveillance don't understand how the web works. In some cases, if there is evidence, targeted monitoring can be done but if government wants to go through each tweet and every status update, it's just waste of money and resources. Agencies involved in monitoring can do better work by focusing on core issues. This will also save law-abiding citizens from unnecessary harassment," said Abraham.

Some Facebook and Twitter content is already under the surveillance of the National Technical Research Organization. Deora confirmed this, telling Parliament that "telecom service providers (already) provide facilities for lawful interception and monitoring of communication flowing through their network including communications from social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter".

He said in cases where data is encrypted by websites like Twitter, the department works with the parties concerned to obtain access. Twitter and Facebook don't share private information on their servers without a court order. Twitter also has a policy of informing the user whose information is being shared with security agencies.

Government wants to read your tweets, Facebook posts - Times Of India

 

[desiman]

India is not clamping down on Facebook or twitter, please dont change headlines just to prove your own points. India wants access to read these websites which is something that happens in the US and Canada as well, please go check.

 

[somebozo]

Supposed IT power house India does not have ministers who understand how the internet or Facebook and twitter works..
now where is the world greatest democracy??

 

[KKNDmx]

Supposed IT power house India does not have ministers who understand how the internet or Facebook and twitter works..
now where is the world greatest democracy??

You see, this kind of thing can only happens in China, because they are big, bad, and evil. If it happens in India, it's because the government just want to "read these website" and there is no harm in it. Hypocrisy or double standard, I don't know which one to call

 

[yousaf goebbels]

i hope ana hazara and that other man make a fb account and start riots and protests in in india just like libya and tunisia.

facebook and twitter is banned in occupied Kashmir AND A.P

 

[Evil Flare]

i hope ana hazara and that other man make a fb account and start riots and protests in in india just like libya and tunisia.

facebook and twitter is banned in occupied Kashmir AND A.P

No its not banned .. i chat with many friends from there

 

[VelocuR]

How they access to users's messages and walls in fb? All they have to click is request friend.

 

[notsuperstitious]

As per India's IT act, and as per IT acts of most countries, people are held accountable for their actions on the internet (just the way one is off internet)

All this news says is that certain technologies did not give access to Indian law enforcement agencies to enforce the IT act, and now efforts are underway to ensure that is done. There is no clampdown. But I see why some people with guilt conscience may feel the need to draw moral equivalence.

now where is the world greatest democracy??

ifacebook and twitter is banned in occupied Kashmir AND A.P

He may be a bozo but your are no goebbels. Your lies will influence you only, which will make absolutely NO difference to the world!

 

[jdme]

Let me get this straight. Confusing headline aside, government is basically monitoring tweets and not "silencing" them. I don't like it but we don't live in perfect world. If this is related to terrorism or something, we will suffer it. And this is quite common across countries affected by terrorism. Some people really need to get a life.

 

[yousaf goebbels]

No its not banned .. i chat with many friends from there

sir its banned.....i called my friend right now and he said page is not opening.

 

[notsuperstitious]

sir its banned.....i called my friend right now and he said page is not opening.

I called my friend just now, and he said the page not only opened super fast but he was able to log in with a telepathic command.

 

[Zeeshan360]

sir its banned.....i called my friend right now and he said page is not opening.

Just my bro was on a Kashmir trip .
We used to chat on Facebook .
Heck he even uploaded his pics frm J&K

Yes facebook and twitter is banned in China occupied Kashmir not in India

 

[DarK-LorD]

How they access to users's messages and walls in fb? All they have to click is request friend.

GoI has software to tap into all the content of a user in Facebook.

 

[-INDIAN-]

i hope ana hazara and that other man make a fb account and start riots and protests in in india just like libya and tunisia.

facebook and twitter is banned in occupied Kashmir AND A.P

SWITCH TO IDEA 3G yar........
WHAT AN IDEA SIRJI.....
A.P has its FB banned????what a load of crap

 

[xTra]

sir its banned.....i called my friend right now and he said page is not opening.

Do you have Friends also.