Google and Facebook have followed instructions from the courts of India and remove questionable content.
Over 21 online companies including some of the giants like Orkut and yahoo could face a civil suit in Delhi due to hosting content that may cause unrest in India. A case is due to be heard next month.
Judges in India have threatened to block websites in a bid to crack down on abusive online content, however online content providers are saying it may not be possible to pre-filter all content uploaded online.
At the end of last year, India’s communications minister met with Google, Facebook and other content providers stating the Indian government will put guidelines in place to make sure blasphemous content does not appear online.
India’s high court has asked these content providers to develop a program that will check and remove questionable content or they will follow China and block these websites.
The civil case started when a petitioner alleged the companies were hosting content that will religiously offend.
Facebook, Google and other content providers have confirmed that complied with the earlier order from the Indian courts and have taken down specific content.
All content providers are coming together and arguing that no action should be taken against them. Google stated “This step is in accordance with Google's longstanding policy of responding to court orders."
Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has taken a strong line on the issue
Google said: "This step is in accordance with Google's longstanding policy of responding to court orders”.
The Delhi court has requested the 22 firms involved provide a written reply confirming the content has been removed within 15 days.
Google India has stated that it is impossible to monitor all the material posted by billions of people daily.
Google lawyer, NK Kaul, said in an earlier court hearing that the issue also related "to a constitutional issue of freedom of speech and expression, and suppressing it was not possible as the right to freedom of speech in democratic India separates us from a totalitarian regime like China".
Facebook has responded by saying they have acceptable processes in place to enable users to report abusive material.
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