“MNC Internet firms need to respect Indian law”

Rajesh Chharia, President, Internet Service Providers Association of India, says:

At the outset let me say that I am opposed to any form of censorship and I support self-regulation. However, what does one do when multinational companies are not sensitive to Indian culture and ethos.

No MNC can adopt a position that it will conform only to their home country's community standards, because in India we have different culture and sensibilities. So they have to adhere to Indian laws and values. Yes, self-regulation is the best way but what could the Government do when the companies were not willing to regulate themselves.

In the past too, these MNC Internet firms have refused to follow Indian rules on grounds that their servers are outside the country. Take unrestricted Net telephony services for instance. Under Indian rules unrestricted Net telephony is not allowed to Internet companies, but the MNC's continue to provide the service saying that they are governed by laws in their home country.

This to my mind is not the right approach. So in the case of content on social network sites, I think they should respect Indian laws and our culture, and cooperate with the Government when asked. To say that controversial but legal content will not be removed, even if it hurts the sentiments of others, is not promoting freedom of speech but promoting hate. It is time MNC firms accept Indian laws too and not adopt a double standards approach.

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