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Orkut site creates more controversy

None | ByJatin Gandhi and Jairaj Singh, New Delhi
Oct 21, 2006 03:10 AM IST

With over 100 kinky communities, there are some that offer numbers of pimps and prostitutes, report Jatin Gandhi and Jairaj Singh.

Trouble is spewing under the eyes of the authorities but no one is willing to act. Orkut – the social networking site that created controversy with its hate India communities – abounds with over 100 communities that solicit sex and prostitution.

HT Image
HT Image

The Information Technology (IT) ministry is already grappling with the issue of anti-India communities. “We will be filing our affidavit within the stipulated period as directed by the Maharashtra High Court,” says Dhirender Singh, Secretary, Ministry of IT. Singh adds that soliciting will also be dealt with. “We will look at what exactly is the contravention of law in this,” he adds.

A simple search on Google’s site Orkut lists many such communities – from ‘Call Girls’ to ‘Sex in Mumbai than Delhi’ – the site carry profiles of men and women across the country bearing emails and phone numbers, some even initiated by open messages (scraps), for interested parties to contact.

HT correspondents posed as potential customers and sent emails to some members in the ‘Call Girls’ communities that have over 5,000 members soliciting sex from Pune, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad and Bhopal. “Are you a virgin?” replied one. “I’ll mail you back with my price and place,” went one reply.

Orkut is hugely popular with young Indians. Other popular social networking sites include Hi5, Myspace, Friendster and Yahoo groups. Orkut alone offers a space for open messages that can be accessed by any one of its members, making soliciting that much easier.

With over 100 kinky communities, there are some that offer numbers of pimps and prostitutes. In ‘Call Girls of Delhi,’ a certain Aman has left his number and promises women from all regions. When called, he answers the phone and speaks agreeably but is not ready to reveal much over the phone.

Call one Sachin, whose profile lists him as ‘a pimp and a gigolo’ and he strikes a deal for a bisexual encounter for a price that has to be negotiated. On the phone with HT on Saturday, he said: “I’m willing to have sex but for a price we have to decide; call me in half an hour and we’ll fix up.”

Delhi police officials admit that they are aware of the goings on in these online communities but have never booked any one. Section 67 of the Information Technology (IT) Act prohibits transmission of obscenity in electronic form including the Internet. Soliciting for prostitution is a crime under the Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act (ITPA). Yet the police rarely marry the two and prosecute defaulters.

Different departments pass the buck and prostitution through the net escapes the law. “Saying that one is available for sex for a price is not obscenity or soliciting under the IT Act,” says Prabhakar, Deputy Commissioner of the Delhi Police’s Cyber Crimes cell.

“If the messages on such communities are followed through by the police and the transaction is completed, then the person can be booked for prostitution,” adds Prabhakar. The police, however, have not followed this. The Cyber Crimes cell says it restricts itself to cyber crimes and it is for other departments to follow these kinds of leads. The other departments do not. They ask for a complaint first.

“While obscenity is banned, soliciting on the net that does not use obscene language or pictures is not,” says Rajan Bhagat, PRO Delhi Police.

Orkut is filled with indecent pictures and abusive language. But the police say they require a complaint to act.  Cyber security analyst Subimal Bhattacharjee disagrees. “Under Section 80 of the Act, the police and other execution agencies can themselves take cognisance of such offences,” he says. “If the police feels a certain website needs to be blocked that can be done too, by reporting the mater to the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) under the IT ministry,” Bhattacharjee says.
Jatin.Gandhi@hindustantimes.com

jairajsingh@hindustantimes.com

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