Facebook, Google Argue Against Web Censorship In India

An anonymous reader writes "Facebook and Google told the Delhi High Court today they cannot block offensive content that appears on their services. The two Internet giants are among 21 companies that have been asked to develop a mechanism to block objectionable material in India, and the Indian government has given the green light for their prosecution. Although India is democratic (in fact, it's the world's largest democracy), many fear the country will resort to censorship."

Comments

Re:The people who try to ban Internet free speech

[kheldan]

No. People are entitled to their opinions, however ignorant they might be. Ignoring their opinions, on the other hand, is perfectly OK. ;-)

Democracy vs. liberal democracy

[Compaqt]

It makes no sense to throw in the line about India being the "world's largest democracy".

All that that means is that India holds elections, and that it has a lot of people.

It doesn't mean that (as in other 3rd world democracies):
-India has a guarantee of freedom of speech like in the US
-India has constitutional protections for "life, liberty, and property"
-You can refuse to testify against yourself (an important protection against torture)
-The government doesn't censor (plenty of stories on RIM, etc., on Slashdot re: that)

The word you're looking for is "liberal democracy", i.e., a democracy in which an emphasis is placed on liberty.