The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and some internet service providers on a public interest litigation seeking a direction to the government to take necessary steps to block web contents on the internet which "offended and denigrated Indian values".
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division bench comprising Chief Justice Cyriac Joseph and Justice B S Patil issued the notices to the Centre, Internet Service Providers Association of India, US-based Youtube Inc and Google and Google-India based in the city in response to the PIL filed by Bangalore-based Digital Society Foundation.
The petitioner not only sought blocking of web contents which were "an insult to Indian nationhood", but also asked for formulation of an appropriate scheme or body to prevent illegal hosting of video clippings on the internet.
In his petition, the petitioner alleged that internet, which had become a tool for facilitating e-commerce, was also "leading to some illegal and criminal activities violating the rights of others".
Warning against the use of internet for "waging Cyber terror with the intention of causing harm and loss to one and all", the petitioner claimed it was necessary to have a separate legislation to control and regulate cyber world.
The United Nations has notified a model law, known as "Uncitral Model Law" to regulate transactions on the internet, based on which Parliament passed the Information Technology Act, 2000, the foundation said.