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Gaurav Raghuvanshi

Licence agreement clearly stipulates that the Government could direct ISPs to block specific Web sites if they were found to be obscene or if they threatened national security. But this was, perhaps, the first time that the Government had used its powers to police the Net.

New Delhi , Sept. 19

IN perhaps the first instance of its kind, the Government has asked Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block an e-mail group of the Hynniewtrep movement, a militant organisation from Meghalaya.

Several ISPs, including Dishnet DSL, Sify, Data Access and Estel, have already received orders from the Department of Telecom (DoT) to block the url (universal resource locator) of the banned outfit. The url was, however, still accessible through other ISPs till Friday evening.

The orders were issued under the terms of the licence agreement that allow the Government to ask ISPs to block specific Web sites or intercept communication such as e-mails in the interest of national security, sovereignty and public good. The Government can also use its powers to block obscene Web sites.

While DoT officials were not available for comment, the Secretary-General of the Internet Service Providers Association of India, Mr Amitabh Singhal, confirmed that several ISPs had blocked out the e-group, which was being hosted on groups.yahoo.com Web site.

Mr Singhal said the licence agreement clearly stipulates that the Government could direct ISPs to block specific Web sites if they were found to be obscene or if they threatened national security. But this was, perhaps, the first time that the Government had used its powers to police the Net, he said.

"I think such orders must be on their way to all the ISPs. While some of the providers have already received the orders and complied, others may be in the process of doing so," he said when asked if only certain ISPs had been issued the directions.

Interestingly, Chennai-based Dishnet DSL received the orders on September 10 and instead of blocking the url of the separatist organisation, it blocked the entire groups.yahoo.com Web site, prompting complaints from users.

When contacted by our Chennai bureau, Mr V. Srinivasan, Chief Executive Officer, DishnetDSL Ltd, said Dishnet, as also other ISPs, had asked for clear instructions from DoT on whether access to the entire site had to be blocked as it was difficult to deny access to only one page. They had not yet got a response from the Department, he said.

However, Mr Singhal said technically, it could be possible to black out just one e-group.

The Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) is a militant outfit of the Khasi tribe in Meghalaya. The group is struggling to transform Meghalaya into an exclusive Khasi province and "free" it from "domination" by the Garo tribe.

The outfit, which has close links with the Issak-Muivah faction of the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), is also engaged in a militant separatist movement.

According to intelligence reports, HNLC promotes circulation of fake currency notes in Meghalaya at the behest of Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).

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