WEBSITE TAKEDOWNS
PM Modi summons telecom secretary over website takedowns, sources say
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office has summoned Telecom Secretary Amit Agrawal in response to concerns regarding fraudulent court orders. These orders, which improperly called for the blocking of 129 betting websites, have prompted the telecoms ministry to launch an internal investigation, while local police are probing potential forgery.
India blocked 129 betting websites on basis of fake high court orders: Report
India's government ordered internet providers to block 129 betting websites based on fraudulent high court orders. Investigations have been initiated after it was revealed that these court orders were fake. The Rajasthan and Allahabad High Courts confirmed that the supposed orders did not exist in their records. Concerns about the authenticity of legal documents are growing due to technology advancements.
Mumbai HC orders Meta, X and Google to take down posts against Nitin Gadkari following lawsuit
The Bombay High Court has mandated an immediate removal of offensive and defamatory posts from social media, labeling them as abusive and obscene. Justice Arif Doctor emphasized the need for online platforms like Meta, X Corp, and Google LLC to act. The court also inquired about their procedures for voluntary content removal and scheduled a follow-up hearing in four weeks.
Govt mulls authorising more ministries to issue content takedown orders
Discussions are on with Defence, Ministry of External Affairs, and Ministry of Home Affairs, government sources said adding that once decided, the changes can be brought through tweaks in IT Rules itself. Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, empowers the Centre to block public access to online content, websites, apps, or social media posts in the interest of national security, sovereignty and public order.
What is the Sahyog Portal and why has comedian Kunal Kamra challenged it in court?
Comedian Kunal Kamra has challenged the government's Sahyog portal in the Bombay High Court, deeming it an unconstitutional intrusion on free speech. His petition argues the portal and amended IT Rules grant excessive powers for content takedowns without adequate legal safeguards, bypassing due process.
Delhi HC protects actor R Madhavan's personality rights, orders takedown of objectionable content
The Delhi High Court has protected actor R Madhavan's personality rights. Several websites and online platforms are now restrained from using his name or images for commercial gain without permission. The court also prohibited the use of artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to exploit his personality traits. Obscene content found online has been ordered for takedown.
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Case registered over AI-generated obscene deep fake videos of Telugu actor Chiranjeevi
In the complaint, the actor stated that the websites have hosted, published and are distributing AI-generated and morphed videos using his name, likeness, and image, falsely depicting him in obscene acts.
India limits content takedown powers to fewer officials after spat with Musk's X
The Indian government has reduced the number of officials authorised to order online content removal, following a legal dispute with Elon Musk's social media platform X over its 2023 internet policing policy. Previously, thousands of officials could issue takedown orders, but now only bureaucrats of joint secretary rank or higher and police officers at deputy inspector general rank or above are allowed to do so.
Govt blocks 25 OTT platforms for streaming obscene, vulgar content
The action to disable 26 websites and 14 apps have been taken in consultation with the ministries of home affairs, electronics and IT, and women and child development, and will be enforced through the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021.
Solicitor general defends govt’s takedown regime in X HC case
The Indian government defended Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules in the Karnataka High Court, stating it flags illegal online content to intermediaries without mandating takedowns. Platform X seeks to scrap the rule, alleging misuse. The government argues it's crucial for combating digital fraud, not curbing free speech.
OpenAI pulls details of Jony Ive partnership amid trademark dispute
OpenAI has quietly removed all references to its $6.5 billion acquisition of Jony Ive’s AI hardware startup, IO Products, due to an ongoing trademark dispute with a similarly named company, IYO Inc.
Sadhguru seeks court protection against AI-driven misuse of his identity
Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has approached the Delhi High Court, seeking protection of his personality rights against unauthorised use of his name and image by various websites employing artificial intelligence.
President Trump signs Take It Down Act, addressing nonconsensual deepfakes. What is it?
President Trump signed the Take It Down Act, a bipartisan law targeting non-consensual intimate imagery and deepfakes. Introduced by Senators Cruz and Klobuchar, it mandates swift removal of such content by websites within 48 hours. While supported by many, including Melania Trump and Meta, critics raise concerns about potential censorship and First Amendment infringements due to the law's broad language.
Tesla protests sweep the globe: Is this Elon Musk’s biggest crisis yet?
A wave of global protests against Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, is set to peak today, with over 200 demonstrations planned across the United States and beyond. The "Tesla Takedown" movement, which claims to be a peaceful protest against Musk's policies and influence, has been linked to acts of vandalism and arson. Authorities have labelled violent protesters as domestic terrorists, while Musk has vowed to take action against those funding the movement.
US officials seize extortion websites; ransomware hackers vow more attacks
Blackcat - also known as ALPHV or Noberus - is accused of working with the prolific hacking gang known as "Scattered Spider," which has terrorized major businesses including MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment.
Health Ministry notice to 15 websites for selling e-cigarettes; social media sites under scanner
Union Health Ministry has sent notices to 15 websites selling e-cigarettes, which is banned in India, directing them to stop advertisement and sale of the products, official sources said. Six more websites are on the radar, they said, adding the ministry is also closely monitoring the advertisement and sale of e-cigarettes on social media and might issue notices to them soon.
Indiamart among global marketplaces tagged by US for selling counterfeit
A goal of preparing the list, according to the report, is to motivate appropriate action by the private sector and governments to reduce piracy and counterfeiting.
IndiaMart.com, Palika Bazaar, and 3 other Indian markets figure in US Notorious Markets List for counterfeiting and copyright piracy
The USTR report said IndiaMART, an e-commerce website and mobile app that connects buyers with suppliers, describes itself as the world's second largest online business-to-business market. Counterfeit goods can allegedly be found in large volumes on IndiaMART, including counterfeit pharmaceuticals, electronics and apparel.
Government seeks action from Twitter, FB on fake news
It is learnt that while the platforms claimed to have taken down over 8 million videos on various counts from copyright violation to child abuse, the I&B ministry wanted to know if they had any data on India-specific content taken down so far.
In heated meeting, India seeks tougher action from US tech giants on fake news
The officials, from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), strongly criticised the companies and said their inaction on fake news was forcing the Indian government to order content takedowns.
Twitter removes China-linked accounts spreading false news
The network was engaged ``in a range of coordinated and manipulated activities`` in predominantly Chinese languages, including praise for China's response to the coronavirus pandemic and ``deceptive narratives'' about Hong Kong pro-democracy protests, the company said.
Rajya Sabha panel suggests breaking encryption to trace distributors of child sexual abuse content
The panel also stated that that gateway internet service providers must bear a significant liability to detect and block websites showing child sexual abuse content, and all search engines must ensure that such websites are blocked during the search and report any website to authorities.
ContentID is Google’s code against piracy
Google uses an automated identification system called ContentID on its video-sharing website YouTube to deal with copyright issues.
IT Act: Industry tight-lipped on Supreme Court upholding content blocking rules
Free-speech activists and social media experts applauded SC’s order to scrap law that allowed police to arrest anyone posting "offensive" messages online.
Section 66A of IT Act: We took up battle, big guys didn’t, says MouthShut founder Faisal Farooqui
SC scrapped section 66A of Indian IT Act which gave the government rights to arrest and penalise web-users for posting ‘objectionable’ content online.
Delhi High Court orders 219 websites to be blocked: Reports
MediaNama, a news website, has reported that according to this order, no Google websites are listed, but many file storage and torrent websites are there.
Twitter restores access to blasphemous material in Pakistan
Twitter said it had now dropped the ban because the watchdog had not followed up its initial requests with further documentation.
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