New Delhi: Union Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal met representatives of various social networking sites and internet service providers in New Delhi today. The meeting, which was part of the national e-governance plan on using the social media to empower citizens, took place in the backdrop of a controversy over Mr Sibal's remarks on monitoring offensive online content.
Maintaining that he wanted a constructive dialogue with the social media which had an enormous reach, Mr Sibal said that those who logged on to the internet should not be fed with an elitist point of view. The social media should reach out to the marginalized sections as well, he said.
At a press conference earlier this month, the minister had acknowledged that he had asked some internet firms to ensure that user content was screened before offensive material was posted online. He, however, denied that this amounted to censorship and later clarified that he had never asked for "pre-screened" online content.
The companies had then said that they cannot deliver what Mr Sibal wants. Following this, the minister had said that the government would have to intervene because the companies had not cooperated.
Sources say that at the meeting today, internet operators have suggested that the government constitute an independent body for monitoring offensive content.
Explaining the government's position, Mr Sibal had said at that press conference that some of the content he found objectionable could hurt religious sentiments. He had also showed to reporters examples of obscene and defamatory content including doctored images of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"I believe that no reasonable person, aware of the sensibilities of a large section of the communities in this country, would wish to see this in the public domain," the minister had said. He also informed that he had held three meetings in the last few months with representatives of Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to request them to screen derogatory material from their sites.
Maintaining that he wanted a constructive dialogue with the social media which had an enormous reach, Mr Sibal said that those who logged on to the internet should not be fed with an elitist point of view. The social media should reach out to the marginalized sections as well, he said.
At a press conference earlier this month, the minister had acknowledged that he had asked some internet firms to ensure that user content was screened before offensive material was posted online. He, however, denied that this amounted to censorship and later clarified that he had never asked for "pre-screened" online content.
The companies had then said that they cannot deliver what Mr Sibal wants. Following this, the minister had said that the government would have to intervene because the companies had not cooperated.
Sources say that at the meeting today, internet operators have suggested that the government constitute an independent body for monitoring offensive content.
Explaining the government's position, Mr Sibal had said at that press conference that some of the content he found objectionable could hurt religious sentiments. He had also showed to reporters examples of obscene and defamatory content including doctored images of Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"I believe that no reasonable person, aware of the sensibilities of a large section of the communities in this country, would wish to see this in the public domain," the minister had said. He also informed that he had held three meetings in the last few months with representatives of Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Yahoo to request them to screen derogatory material from their sites.
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