HYDERABAD: Web users across the country were in for a rude shock on Saturday night, when they were greeted by a blank page when they logged into their favourite porn site. All websites which stream adult videos have been blocked by Internet service providers such as BSNL, MTNL, and Hathway. The move has sparked an outrage by netizens across the country, as hundreds lashed out at the service providers for banning websites without any discussion or debate.
The outrage is less over the inability to access pornographic content but more to do with the suspicious, high-handed manner in which it has been issued. Even though the Department of Telecom is yet to make a formal announcement with respect to the blocked websites, many suspect that it is their intervention that has led to the blocking.
“This is completely unacceptable. Even the Supreme Court had said last month that there’s nothing wrong in viewing adult content within the four walls of a person’s home. And yet, they have blocked porn sites without any discussion. The decision is overbearing and reeks of arrogance,” fumes Vijay Anirudh, a young bachelor. The Internet responded harshly and #PornBan became the top Twitter trend on Sunday morning.
From angry reactions to hilarious memes, all dinner-table discussions quickly turned towards porn.
“Indian government has conveniently banned International sites but not the Indian ones. Are they trying to say ‘Make Out in India’?,” a user tweeted.
Some were intolerant towards the ban and minced no words in expressing their displeasure.
“Banning porn is a savage and barbaric act and will not be tolerated at any cost,” a furious user posted on Twitter.
Others saw the funny side of it. “Slowly realising why Modi goes abroad repeatedly and why Rahul Gandhi went to Thailand for 56 days,” read another tweet.
Offline, many young teenagers felt “cheated” by the ban on porn and admitted, on the condition of anonymity, that it was a bitter pill to swallow.
“There is no restriction on violence shown to children. People are spreading terror and nobody bats an eye, but once we start watching porn, everybody loses their minds,” lamented an intermediate student.
His colleague, another teenager, echoes a similar opinion. “How are we causing harm by watching videos privately? How will porn sites affect anybody? This ban is ridiculous and defies logic. I’m surprised service providers decided to block it, considering how much revenue porn generates for them.” Many hostelites and young teenagers, however, are not losing any sleep over some blocked sites, as they have several other avenues to access porn.
“Just by blocking a few websites, they cannot take porn away from us. My friend has 1 TB collection of porn in his hard disk, we have already started circulating it in our hostel,” said a 17-year-old engineering student.
“We have other ways and means to download and watch pornography. They cannot block and ban everything. As long as there is internet connection, there will be porn,” another student added.
