Telecom minister Kapil Sibal, has been the hottest topic discussed online these days with his suggestions to screen social networking sites. Even on search engine giant Google, Sibal, now remains at the top spot as the most searched topic online in India. Many of the netizens have expressed their outburst over curbing their privacy. Even imminent people from various walks of life have addressed their concern on the issue. a few tweets have been given below for readers enrichment.
Stockbroker Rakesh Jhunjhunwala tweeted: 'Don't think Sibal even understands the Internet. 'This happens when you make a lawyer an IT Minister. Like hiring Mayawati for an item song.'
Prominent filmmaker Shekhar Kapur: 'Every individual is a potential broadcaster n influencer on social media. that scares d gatekeepers of d world including govts.'
Author and socialite Shobhaa De: 'Sibal saab, such outrage 2 protect privacy of one madam in a country of 100 million Internet users? We like our freedom and we shall have it!'
Filmmaker Kunal Kohli: 'India is the greatest democracy. Kapil Sibal wants to curb this freedom of speech/expression, it won't and cannot happen. Wake up know your people,' he tweeted.
On Tuesday addressing a press conference, Sibal had asked leading internet companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft and Yahoo! to screen derogatory, defamatory and inflammatory content about political leaders and religion. For a nation with more than 100 million Internet users, and social networking site Facebook alone has over 30 million users, the move seems to have irked the netizens at large.
Hashtags #Kapilsibal and #Censorship were the hot trending topics on Twitter.
However, Sibal also has supporters in the Cyber-World. Colleague and Minister of State for Communications and IT Milind Deora tweeted "Govt doesn't want censorship of the internet. But just as principle of free speech is sacrosanct, incendiary content must also be avoided."
Congress MP from Kerala Shashi Tharoor, a regular on Twitter micro-blogging site, said: "Spoke to Kapil Sibal. He assured me he opposes political censorship. Concern is communally inflammatory images & language which he described. Have to say I support Kapil Sibal on the examples he gave me: deeply offensive material about religions & communities that could incite riots."
