Freedom of Speech on the web in India

[warthog]

EU Wants to ?Internationalize? the Internet | The Brussels Journal


all 5yr old supporting this move just think that in USA internet is protected under 1st amendment which is absolute unlike in EU where there are reasonable restrictions.

This is a trojan horse for internet censorship and internet 2.

internet should be free for all and no one should control it.It is the last bastion for freedom.

 

[vishalrao]

yes, agreed, governments want to control the internet to prevent the free flow of thoughts and ideas...tyranny is near. they will clamp down and lock down the internet with excuses such as copyright infringement (p2p/torrents), child porn etc.... instead of going after the criminals they want to make free use of the net itself a crime...

 

[Sushubh]

I am starting this thread to discuss the freedom of speech rights we have online in India. I blog about a lot of things. And most of the content ends up related to poor services provided by companies to me as a customer.As a result, I also end up getting mails from other people who narrate their own bad experiences. I sometimes post these emails on the relevant blogs highlighting the crapness that exists on the web.In fact this forum was once the prime source of information on how bad Sify Broadband services were (and they still are as bad!).Alright. Here is the thing. I had a blog post on IndiaMART with content from an email that I received from one of their customers.The email had his experiences dealing with IndiaMART. He had also provided his contact information in case anyone doubted his saga. I got an email from a lawyer threatening a lawsuit if I did not remove the content from that post. I did that sadly because I really have no time to get into these lawsuits. The question is… What rights to bloggers and regular web users have when it comes to posting information about bad experiences with companies on the internet. We are of course not as protected as mainstream media journalists are. The fact remains… If web users can be sued for twittering about bad experiences by service providers… How soon would I get similar threats from telecom and dth companies connected to bad user experiences posted by regular web users on this forum itself!

 

[warthog]

thats the problem.The fundamental rights only protects you from govt and not private persons imo.I see this a lot on alternative forums.If you post any negative about a company be sure you have proof otherwise those punk lawyers would claim libel.I am not a lawyer but if i were you i would have said "bring em on" cuz i know what i have written is the truth.you can counter sue them for harassment.they dare not sue me cuz it will be in news.

 

[vebk]

AFAIK there's no difference between freedom of speech on the web or offline. There are a few things to look out for and avoid - the obvious ones being speech promoting violence, religious hatred, anti-national speech, indecent speech etc. (Look up Article 19 of the Constitution and you will get an idea). Apart from that the main thing to look out for is defamation. Defamation in lay terms means spreading falsities about someone. Like if I posted "Person X is corrupt and takes bribes" or "Company B employs criminals to threaten customers" etc. But the basic and strong defense to defamation is the truth. Defamation only makes it an offense to lie about a person etc. not to tell the truth. BUT you must have proof of the truth. So if you have got a video tape of person X taking a bribe, or a court of law has convicted him of corruption, then it is NOT defamation. Another things defamation doesn't cover is opinion. So if you say "I like beverage X over beverage Y" there is no defamation, but if you say (without proof) that "Beverage X contains pesticides" then that is defamation (a criminal offence + civil consequences as to damages).

You should take legal notices seriously but not when they are talking bullshit.

 

[Sushubh]

and what about the reports that the owner of a blog or forum can be held responsible for comments posted by others?

 

[warthog]

you need to use 1st amendment clause.the server is based in USA and not India.you have to check thier laws.article 19 aka our so call rights does not apply here.We have absolute rights here.

 

[ghatoch]

and what about the reports that the owner of a blog or forum can be held responsible for comments posted by others?

offcourse you will be i think :inodding:

 

[masilamani]

The fact remains? If web users can be sued for twittering about bad experiences by service providers? How soon would I get similar threats from telecom and dth companies connected to bad user experiences posted by regular web users on this forum itself!

I got and still getting many threats from a particualr DTH operator for commenting about their service. I don't mind and throw their threats in dustbin and not getting feared. I am bold.

 

[warthog]

thats the way.:clap:just transfer your address to usa.In usa till 2009 summer hate specch was protected by first amendment.until the prez signs the bill tech i can use hate speech.now thats freedomhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=IN&hl=en-GB&v=lM6wtYp2o5E