Why was the ban first instituted?
Originally, a lawyer filed a petition in India’s Supreme Court asking for a complete ban of all porn sites, arguing that they are socially destructive through promotion of misogyny and violence against women. The lawyer further stated that porn is putting the country’s security in danger, and that it “propels” men to commit rape and other sex crimes. The court’s initial response was to criticize the government for allowing child porn sites to be accessible within the country. The government reacted to this by restricting access to 857 porn sites in a reported move to prevent children from accessing them. However, the Indian population retaliated with scorn and derision, and so the order was scaled down in response. Now, the telecom ministry has asked ISPs to only block access to sites that host child pornographic content, and this has reportedly only led to increased confusion and ridicule.
Ensuing Backlash
Indeed, radio and television shows have been inundated with both pro and anti-ban calls. The now-trending hashtag, #NextBanIdea, has been accompanying a multitude of tweets concerning the controversy. Some tweeters have been expressing opinionated rage:
Others are leveraging the online channel to troll the government and call attention to the situation’s humorous aspect:
