The government has directed Internet service providers to block 827 websites that host pornographic content following an order by the Uttarakhand High Court. In the latest development, Reliance Jio has reportedly blocked these porn websites.
While the Uttarakhand High Court has asked to block 857 websites, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) found 30 portals without any pornographic content. Meity asked the Department of Telecom (DoT) to block 827 websites named in the list issued as part of the order, PTI reported.
“… all the internet service licensees are instructed to take immediate necessary action for blocking of 827 websites as per the direction from Meity and for the compliance of the Hon’ble High Court order,” the Department of Telecom said in an order issued to internet service providers. The high court order was issued on September 27, 2018, and it was received by Meity on October 8.
According to a survey released last year by pornhub.com, India is the “third most porn watching country” worldwide after the US and UK. And given the free accessibility of pornographic websites in India, there’s no guarantee that only adults are watching hardcore porn. Children and particularly teens have easy access to the Internet through digital devices such as smartphones and tablets. According to the Unicef Child Online Protection in India Report 2016, with 134 million children countrywide having access to mobile phones and the Internet, there’s high probability that they are viewing inappropriate online content. A survey conducted in 2017 by cyber security company McAfee titled New Family Dynamics in a Connected World reveals that 54 percent of parents in India report that their children have visited inappropriate websites — the highest in the 14 countries surveyed, including the US, UK, and Australia.
ParentsWorld has written an elaborate cover on the need of a ban on pornographic sites in its July edition. To read the story, click here: https://www.educationworld.in/protecting-children-from-the-billion-dollar-online-porn-industry/
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