Centre may install Internet jammers in school buses
The government has suggested the installation of Internet jammers in school buses after a PIL in the Supreme Court claimed that crews on these vehicles shared pornographic material with students and later molested them. Notably, the Centre had earlier informed the apex court that it has ordered the blocking of websites that hosted child pornography.
The government may advise schools to install Internet jammers in their buses after a public interest plea in the Supreme Court said crews on these vehicles share pornographic material with students and later sexually abuse them.The development comes against the backdrop of the Centre last year blocking hundreds of adult websites to prevent porn becoming a "social nuisance", sparking a debate about censorship and freedom in the world's largest democracy. The ban was partially lifted days later following a wave of criticism.Also read: It's official. Government has banned these 857 porn sitesJAMMERS IN SCHOOL BUSES?Responding to a suggestion to install jammers inside schools from the Supreme Court Woman Lawyers Association (SWLA) - one of the petitioners in the PIL - the affidavit filed by RP Saxena, co-ordinator of the cyber laws and esecurity group of the government, said, "It may not be feasible to install jammers inside the school premises since jammers in schools will block internet access to computers used by children. However, in order to prevent access of pornographic sites on cell phones by these drivers or anyone who is in charge of the children in the buses, they can be installed in buses."Also Read: Five reasons why porn ban won't workIn its fight against online porn, the SCWLA has said no such site should have free access and those desperate to watch should be made to pay a hefty amount which "can act as a deterrent".FIND WAYS AND MEANS TO BLOCK PORNBased on the plea from the association and others, the top court had this year asked the Narendra Modi government to find out "ways and means" to block pornography on the internet and make watching of blue film in public an offence.Also Read: Find ways to block porn sites, Supreme Court tells government"It has become very common these days for the drivers, conductors/cleaners to take advantage of innocent children, induce them to watch porn on their mobiles and indulge in molestation and sodomisation of the child," said the petition filed by the association's secretary Prerna Kumari and drafted by senior lawyer Mahalakshmi Pavani.INDIANS ACCESS PORN ON MOBILEMillions of Indians access porn on their smartphones or by inserting memory chips containing racy videos that are easily available at low prices, say reports. Some Internet companies say it is impossible to block all such sites because many of the servers that host them are outside India. Also, the sites can still be accessed through proxy servers.However, researchers from Australia's University of Melbourne found in a study last month that young people who watch pornography, which is now easily accessible on smartphones and other devices, are more likely to sexually abuse another child or young person.Referring to "increasing" instances where auto drivers, bus drivers and conductors indulge in molestation and sodomy, the affidavit says, "Limited access to persons making request to visit porn sites, may be provided (like VPN gateway server, etc) with certain conditions like: Instead of making payment to the Service providers, a hefty amount be made to the Government of India. This way, it is reflected in the bank accounts; also people like auto-drivers and people belonging to such similar strata of the society will have restricted access to online pornography. Also, it can be a great revenuegenerating model for the government."HAVE COUNSELLORS FOR KIDS