Government lifts ban on websites

New Delhi: Bloggers in India can rest easy now.

According to the Department of Telecommunications, blogs which were blacked out three days after the Mumbai blasts will soon be restored.

Post 7/11, the Government decided to block sites without saying why and the ISPs decided to go ahead, do one better and block all blogs.

The Centre issued an order to block 22 websites after a two-page write up containing derogatory references to Islam appeared in a blog.

The Department of Telecommunciations had issued notices to all Internet service providers (ISPs) to block the two pages, but due to a technical error, ISPs blocked all blogs.

Various ISPs say they were asked to block access to a list of 20 odd websites, which these include sites like Dalitstan.org, Clickatell.com, Hinduunity.com, Princesskimberly.blogspot.com and Hinduhumanrights.org - all sites that supposedly spread extreme views.

The Department of Telecommunciations has now clarified that the error is being rectified.

The Government alleges that these blogsites were fuelling hatred and communalism, but it also clarified its stand saying that they were not trying to censor free speech in the country. Instead they insisted that these sites have been under security check much before the terrorist attacks.

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