To:  The Hon'ble President, Prime Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Information Technology, Indian CERT ( Computer Emergency Response Team) and Google / Orkut

ORKUT BAN: The controversy still continues Tuesday, June 12, 2007 04:02:24 pm

Now the Centre has reacted by stating, the website has been on its radar for a while now.

In an exclusive statement issued to TIMES NOW, the Ministry of Home Affairs has declared that websites like Orkut and Google Earth are being tracked by the concerned authorities for sometime now. Authorities have also been considering relevant legislation and changes in norms for these websites.

Orkut ban: Anti-social networking? Updated Tuesday , June 12, 2007 at 01:12

BAN-DO-BUST: The Mumbai Police meanwhile, say it has contacted the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT, a Delhi-based regulatory body under the Ministry of Information and Technology) for banning Orkut.

Murders, harassment, sexual intimidation, false identities, fraud, misuse of pictures, stalking… there is a much darker side that makes a social network look like a Tarantula's web.

You could have your pictures posted on any one of these communities, you could have someone posing as you and posting comments and you could have someone track your activities and harass you too.

So, that brings up the question: Does freedom of speech and expression mean hate sites, hate communities and generally vilifying groups? And does a social networking site - which promotes itself as a 'safe' platform for idea exchange - have any responsibility towards the content that is put up on it?

The networking site Fropper.com 's business head, Navin Mittal says, "The Internet cannot be blamed. The Internet provides access and connectivity and has both positive and negative effects. The medium cannot be blamed, it's how people use it. Your education, family background and the way you have been taught to handle things often governs what you do on the Internet. Then again, terrorists use mobile phones for a lot of use other than making calls. Would you say people stop using phones as well?"

MORE PRIVACY NEEDED

Orkut, perhaps need to look at other social networking sites that have somewhat more stringent moderation and rules than itself.

Profiles can be made private, you can block users from seeing what you write and the pictures you put up and you can even decide whether you want your profile to be visible publicly or keep it only for the eyes of a few.

Orkut is the MOST transparent and therefore perhaps the most in news, for the wrong reasons. High time the Orkut authorities woke up and smelt the coffee.

Orkut users livid over demands for ban Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007

BANGALORE: A storm is brewing in the virtual world over Orkut.com, India's second most visited portal.

But as the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) decides whether to make the site inaccessible to everyone in the country, Orkut users are up against the latest attempt at "Internet regulation".

The body was launched by the Government in 2004 to protect Internet networks of the defence forces, air and rail traffic and other vital establishments from individual or state-sponsored hackers inimical to the interests of India.

Govt mulls ban on Orkut | Your Say Updated Monday , June 11, 2007 at 13:23

MORAL POLICING: The student wing of the Shiv Sena is making a software to monitor abusive communities on Orkut.

Mumbai Police seek ban on Orkut Saturday, June 9, 2007 (Mumbai)

There's anger online against the latest demand to block orkut.com.

The demand was first made by the Thane Police and now the Mumbai Police has also followed suit.

''Following what happened, we have written to the Centre, asking them to take action against the site and we have also asked cyber cafe owners in Mumbai to take precautions,'' said DN Jadhav, Police Commissioner, Mumbai.

While the CERT says it's unaware of the complaints and plans to take no action as yet, Orkut is already facing an unofficial ban in Thane since the police has asked cyber cafe owners not to allow users to log onto the site.

In December last year, Google had met with security agencies in five cities and set-up a reporting mechanism by which they could directly report objectionable content to Google and have it removed.

The man who wants to shut down Orkut.com June 08, 2007

When pointed out that the Internet is a free medium and there is no way for him to prevent someone sitting in, say, Australia to post anti-India messages, he said, "I know this. Our software engineers are working on this front and we will track down such people. If that person is even sitting in America we will go and thrash that person. We want to catch hold of such culprits who do such things and thrash them."

On a concluding note, when asked what freedom of expression means to him, he says, "It means that one has a right to think and express his opinions freely but not hurt the sentiments of others. This is where Orkut fails, as mischief-mongers are misusing the freedom of expression on the web site by humiliating our leaders and spreading enmity among Indians. Orkut may be an American company but they have to follow Indian laws if they want to operate in India."

Should Orkut be banned? June 08, 2007

WEB OF TROUBLE: Shiv Sena go on rampage over Orkut Updated Sunday, June 03, 2007 at 21:50

Cops use Orkut to track murderer Updated Wednesday, May 16, 2007 at 21:02

ORKUT SOLVES MURDER: Manish Thakur, a naval officer based in Goa, has now been arrested.

Orkut, cops tie up to stop spam Saturday, May 05, 2007 at 08:47

POLICING ORKUT: There has been an informal tie-up between the Mumbai Police and the Orkut management.

Mumbai: As much as the debate on content regulation and content moderation, the inherent fear among Internet users is that this affiliation of the Mumbai will spread onto other websites too - so the best option is to behave oneself Online too!

Google to help Mumbai Police track down web offenders Monday, March 12, 2007 (Mumbai)

The Mumbai Police has confirmed that the US-based Google Inc has agreed to share with them the IP addresses of those misusing Orkut. It's just an understanding. There's neither a legal written agreement/contract with Google nor any court order / directive to do the same.

Fake Orkut profile of schoolgirl posted February 06, 2007 20:07 IST

Air hostess 'defamed' on Orkut Updated Wednesday, January 24, 2007 at 15:30

BAD NETWORKING: The family of the air hostess immediately reported the matter to Orkut, which in turn closed down the account. But two days later, the profile was reopened.

Social networking? Cops are watching you November 30, 2006 12:08 IST

File reply on plea for ban on Orkut: Bombay High Court November 23, 2006 20:05 IST

Intrusion of privacy : Any cyber policing of the net may please be in accordance strictly within the legal framework of the Indian cyber laws and by the law enforcement agencies only and certainly not by political affiliates and moral policemen.

Otherwise, tomorrow google could give away our personal information / details and unauthorised access to our inboxes through an informal/unwritten tie-up/contract with the police.

Conclusion: We the undersigned request Orkut/Google to make the rules stringent like other networking sites w.r.t. content regulation and content moderation.

Orkut may please allow us to decide whether we want our profile to be visible publicly or to be kept open only for the eyes of a few.

If an account is created in a particular name no other user may please have an account in a similar name to prevent impersonation.

Orkut users may please be prevented from posting inappropriate, defamatory or inflammatory content.

When an abusive community is deleted by Orkut its usually resurfaces with the same title within a span of few days with a vengeance. Therefore, IP addresses of abusive profiles, spammers and abusive community owners may please be banned to prevent this.

Any ban on the entire site Orkut.com would be unjust. Indian democracy is vibrant and is flourishing despite all its flaws.

So, for God's sake let's not make India a Police/hard state like China, Singapore,.. through an informal / illegal / unlawful / unauthorised joint cyber policing / patrolling of the net by the Indian police, self-appointed moral policemen and their political affiliates.

LEADER ARTICLE: Danda / Police Raj / State

We request each and every Indian state and UT (Union Territory) to fully comply with the Supreme court's unambiguous judgement / directions of September 2006 w.r.t. police reforms like the separation of investigative and law and order functions of the police. This progressive and reformed police force would be accountable to laws of the land and the Constitution.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned