Gotham,

In case if anyone is interested in the blogs the govt. official in CERT-IN wanted to block, here are the links

http://exposingtheleft.blogspot.com
http://commonfolk.blogspot.com
http:/commonense.blogspot.com
http://princesskimberley.logspot.com

well, well -- a retreat! this is a victory for the blogophere in India! all the indie (independent) spirits, who will make the country work in the decades to come, have won an important point!

Hi Gotham,
Off topic, I know, but just seen your updated Virgin site - looks great - the PDF sampler is AWESOME...I take back everything I said on a previous posting...I know this sounds like PR for your other activities but where else could I offer an opinion but at your own blog ??

cheers,
R

Actually this ban gets more and more confusing with each passing day. This letter of clarification notwithstanding, there really has been no single categorical statement from anyone as to exactly what has been banned. The press feeds us what it thinks, we imply what we want, all because this was done pretty surreptiously. Why not just give a simple statement that for security reasons ISPs have been told to block these folllowing sites. Had clear cut information and instructions been given to ISPs, there would have been no reason for them to over-react, as they so obviously have done. A simple press statement to that effect would have prevented further misunderstanding and kite flying.

There may be many who feel that any ban for any reason is blatantly wrong. I feel differently. Just like freedom of expression and speech also need to be regulated when they impinge on the rights of others, there is a need, in very special cases, to curb this freedom. That being said, I somehow fail to understand it in this case. If terrorists or whoever were using the sites to plan or communicate, I would think that it would in fact be a golden opportunity for intelligence and security agencies to monitor them and even make use of the information. These sites could become sources.

Again, in the absence of any authorative information and going by reports in the press regarding the sites blocked, one gets the impression that besides those which may have posed a security threat, some politically inconevient sites have also been conventiently taken care of.

oh, ok, now i get it.

(fyi -- it was kinda (not difficult but) laborious this typekey process all commenters have to go through. but if it is necessary to do so, then so be it)

List of Blog Sites banned in India. It is interesting to read what the the bloggers of these sites are saying.

hinduunity.org
mypetjawa.mu.nu
pajamaeditors.blogspot.com
exposingtheleft.blogspot.com
www.thepiratescove.us
commonfolkscommonsense.blogspot.com
www.bamapachyderm.com
princesskimberly.blogspot.com
infiniteplaythemovie.com
merrimusings.typepad.com
mackers-world.com
dalistan.org
hinduhumanrights.org/hindufocus.html
iamblogging.net
nndh.com
bloodroyaltriped.com
imagesearchyahoo.com
imamali8.com
rahulyadav.com

Update on this issue

http://in.rediff.com/news/2006/jul/20dot.htm

The picture is getting more and more clearer clearly exposing the whiners in the right dominated blogosphere. It appears that the govt. asked the ISPs to block certain blogs that had the potential to whip up religious passions (apart from the efforts of dumbheads like Advani and Modi in Mumbai). This effort to ban is clearly wrong on the part of the govt. (that too the decision was taken at the lower level officials at CERT-IN and DoT). However, the emergency kinda situation (as claimed by the right wing Indian bloggers and some media) was the result of INEPT private sector ISPs (the public sector ISP BSNL didn't block blogspot). The govt. is also considering action on them. Shame on those ISPs. Shame on the right wing Indian bloggers who tried to portray the situation as govt. induced emergency. It is time for these bloggers to go and clean up the egg on their face.
This incident has clearly exposed the intellectual bankruptcy of a big chunk of Indian bloggers.

And all this time I thought that the blocking was an anti-terrorism measure. Krish, if you think that a junior level official is responsible, I think your opinion of how they function is different from mine. As far as I know, no junior official would have the courage or even the desire to take such a step - it entails taking reponsibility. The question that remains though is why was it done in a manner which created confusion all round? And why did it take so long for any meaningful clarification to surface. What was clearly lacking was transparency and that is what people objected to more than anything else. Right and left really doesn't seem to have anything to do with it as far as I am concerned. It's the inefficiency that is bothersome.

Even the clarification given here actually talks of 'two impertinent pages'. The listing according to what is printed in the press and so far not denied has to do with a lot more than just 2 pages, pertinent or impertinent! More unnecessary confusion as far as I am concerned.

Dara, By junior level official, I meant "not ministers or cabinet level secys". I hope I am clear.

Krish,

Either in the Business Standard or IE yesterday or day before, there was a statement from the head honcho at the CERT who said that they had wanted a few sites to be blocked. Thats hardly junior level. Besides the main issue I have, which I made earlier, is that the way in which it was done is what created the confusion. There is simply no transparency, that is what bothers people. In fact even now there are statements from unnamed sources which say that this will last a few days. This could very well be kite flying and it is not because of some conspiracy but because of the fact that no one seems to know whats happening. That needs to be corrected.