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'Internet firms have to follow law of land'

The government on Thursday said it has no plans to censor the Internet even as it sought to send a strong message to social websites like Google and Facebook that any company wishing to operate in the country will have to follow law of the land.

Updated on: Jan 20, 2012, 11:57:45 IST
PTI | By , New Delhi
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The government on Thursday said it has no plans to censor the Internet even as it sought to send a strong message to social websites like Google and Facebook that any company wishing to operate in the country will have to follow law of the land.

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HT Image

The assertion comes amid growing unease among global website and social media companies over the government asking the social websites to ensure that uploading of derogatory material is stopped.

"We do not believe in censorship of any kind. All over the world, every company has to operate in accordance with the law. Any company wishing to operate in a country has to follow the law of the land," IT and Telecom Secretary R Chandrashekhar told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

He added that everyone is aware of technology and there is a need to develop some mechanism to abide by the law.

Recently, the Centre had filed a report in a court saying there was sufficient material to proceed against 21 websites, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft, for alleged offences of promoting enmity between classes and causing prejudice to national integration.

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