Citing technical problems, telecom operators have refused to adhere to
an order of Home Ministry for blocking Twitter traffic from specific
states including Gujarat, Kerala, Assam and UP in the backdrop of social
media being used to fan communal trouble.
The Department of Telecom
was requested to consider technical feasibility of a request from the
Home Ministry for monitoring Twitter traffic.
"Twitter Inc may be
directed to all traffic emanating from addresses in the states assessed
by the Central Intelligence Agencies to be sensitive in the current
prevailing situation in Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh," official documents
said.
This was conveyed to BSNL, Tata Communications, Bharti
Airtel, Idea Cellular, Reliance Communications as well as the Internet
Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI). In its reply, Tata
Communications said it does not allocate Internet Protocol Addresses to
its customers on a state-wise basis. "Specific area wise/state wise
blocking of website is technically not feasible," it said.
The
state-owned BSNL also said it is not possible to block website on circle
basis and Reliance Communications said the blocking has to be at the
gateway locations and can't be made specific to area or state wise.
Idea
and Bharti also said its not possible to block. ISPAI said "we would
like to inform that it is technically not feasible to block website
state wise."
The Director of DoT Subodh Saxena said in his
communication that " in the present scenario that Internet Service
Providers (ISPs) having majority of Internet subscribers have not
allocated addresses area or state wise and it would not be possible for
them at present to carry out specific area wise or state wise blocking
of website."
Source: NDTV
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