Govt orders to block 67 pornographic websites for violating new 2021 IT rules

The government has ordered internet companies to block 67 pornographic websites following court orders as they violated the new IT rules in 2021.

The Department of Telecom (DoT) has directed internet service providers in an email to block 63 websites based on the direction of a Pune court and four other websites based on the orders of the Uttarakhand High Court as well as the orders of the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY), reported PTI.

"MeitY in compliance of the said (Uttarakhand High court) order read along with rule 3(2)(b) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital



Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and in view of certain obscene material available in the below-mentioned website that tarnishes the image of modesty of women, has directed to take down (block) the immediately… websites/URLs," the DoT order dated September 24 said as reported by news agency PTI.

The IT Rules 2021 invoked by MeitY mandates IT companies to remove or disable access to content hosted, stored, or published by them that "shows a such individual in full or partial nudity or shows or depicts a such individual in any sexual act or conduct" and also content which is allegedly impersonated or artificially morphed, reported PTI.