Facebook issues statement on Internet censorship

Social networking website Facebook said today, it recognises Indian government's interest in minimising the amount of abusive content online, and it will remove any content violating its terms.

Social networking website Facebook said on Tuesday it recognises Indian government's interest in minimising the amount of abusive content online, and it will remove any content violating its terms.

'We will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service,' Facebook said in a statement.

Sibal has kept clarifying his stance stating that the Government is advocating only supervision, and not censorship.

However, if the content gets pulled down just it is considered morally incorrect, then it doesn't stay in the purview of supervision only, anymore.

Much of what Sibal is suggesting is not exactly new and is covered under the Information Technology Rules 2011 released earlier in the year. The new set of rules gives the government the authority to prohibit content of specific nature on the Internet. PRS Legislative Research's analysis of the rules highlight that 'the Intermediary Guidelines Rules that allow blocking of content on the internet may violate the right to free speech. These Rules differ from the requirements governing content of other media like newspapers and television.'

In a response, Facebook has also said, 'We want Facebook to be a place where people can discuss things freely, while respecting the rights and feelings of others, which is why we have already have policies and on-site features in place that enable people to report abusive content.'.

Judging by the current response on the Internet, it is evident that the proposed changes shall receive much ire from the online society, and even the social network companies can not afford to displease their users who themselves make the networks the behemoths they are, today.

With inputs from Reuters.