Free speech campaigners deface Kapil Sibal’s site
1 Dec 2012 6:39 AM IST
Hackers defaced the website of IT minister Kapil Sibal amid a growing campaign against the law governing online comments.
An amendment to Information Technology Act in 2009, which was championed by Sibal, makes it illegal to make ‘grossly offensive’ comments online, a measure seen by critics as a limit on free speech.
Two girls were arrested earlier this month by police in Mumbai over comments on Facebook which questioned the shutdown of the city for the funeral of Bal Thackeray. The personal website of Sibal, who has promised to review some sections of the law, was out of order on Friday and the hackers, thought to be from the Anonymous India collective, also defaced the site. The ‘About” section of the website described Sibal as ‘Born with a below-60 IQ he thought he could mess with the Internet and let the elite of his party suppress freedom of speech,” Computer World magazine reported. The Twitter account of Anonymous India (@opindia_revenge) announced that Sibal’s site had been ‘trolled” by hackers who had posted comments and edited photos. The Supreme Court has accepted a petition to examine the legality of section 66A of the IT Act which makes sending information of ‘grossly offensive or menacing character” punishable with up to three years in jail.
On Friday, SC directed Maharashtra to explain circumstances under which police arrested two girls over their Facebook comments.
The government has since issued guidelines on enforcing the law, but a long-standing campaign against it has gathered pace and the SC may also strike it down as unconstitutional.
An amendment to Information Technology Act in 2009, which was championed by Sibal, makes it illegal to make ‘grossly offensive’ comments online, a measure seen by critics as a limit on free speech.
Two girls were arrested earlier this month by police in Mumbai over comments on Facebook which questioned the shutdown of the city for the funeral of Bal Thackeray. The personal website of Sibal, who has promised to review some sections of the law, was out of order on Friday and the hackers, thought to be from the Anonymous India collective, also defaced the site. The ‘About” section of the website described Sibal as ‘Born with a below-60 IQ he thought he could mess with the Internet and let the elite of his party suppress freedom of speech,” Computer World magazine reported. The Twitter account of Anonymous India (@opindia_revenge) announced that Sibal’s site had been ‘trolled” by hackers who had posted comments and edited photos. The Supreme Court has accepted a petition to examine the legality of section 66A of the IT Act which makes sending information of ‘grossly offensive or menacing character” punishable with up to three years in jail.
On Friday, SC directed Maharashtra to explain circumstances under which police arrested two girls over their Facebook comments.
The government has since issued guidelines on enforcing the law, but a long-standing campaign against it has gathered pace and the SC may also strike it down as unconstitutional.
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