Growing Harrasment and Surveillance of bloggers - A cause for concern

It seems our assessment sometime back that an increase in surveillance
and monitoring of the internet under India's undeclared emergency
will result in serious repercussions in coming days for bloggers
blogging on sensitive political issues has been proved right.

Anti-Raj blog lands north Indian techie in trouble

Beware bloggers. Never vent your fury on the internet, using abusive language. A Kandivili-based electronic and telecommunication engineer, hailing from north India, did just that, and Crime Branch came calling.

Rajat Trivedi (name changed), 27, spewed venom at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, saying people like him “should be killed”, in a four-page blog - ‘Truth about the Kurla bus encounter’. It also accused Mumbai police of gunning down Patna youth Rahul Raj in a fake encounter aboard a BEST double-decker.

Sleuths of the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell came across the blog on November 6. The internet protocol (IP) address of the user was traced to Thakur Complex in Kandivili (East). Later, sleuths paid Trivedi a visit at his home and recorded his statement.

Asked whether Crime Branch was violating the freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed to people by the Constitution, by monitoring blogs and community websites, Maria said, “A person has the right to state his views on political issues. But, in this case, Trivedi is inciting people to resort to violence. He can’t do that.”

The blogger was forced to delete what he had posted and you can read
his edited post here.

Apparently the Mumbai Cyber Crime Investigation cell wants
bloggers to read their Cyber Laws..

http://www.cybercellmumbai.com/cyber-laws/



Just last week Karnataka Home Minister V S Acharya admitted that the extremists were way ahead of the police both in terms of technology and innovative techniques.

While Mr Yediyurappa the CM of Karnataka stressed on the need for legislation on cyber crime,

Newsarticle

It is not clear as to whom these esteemed and distinguished gentlemen are referring to.. :)



Harassment and surveillance is only going to increase in the coming days..