Derogatory content: Govt, Google lock horns

Amid the raging controversy over content regulation online, Internet search giant Google India on Tuesday said it complies with the law of the land but will not remove any material just because it is controversial.

"We work really hard to make sure that people have as much access to information as possible, while also following the law. This means that when content is illegal, we abide by local law and take it down.

"And even where content is legal but breaks or violates our own terms and conditions we take that down too, once we have been notified about it," a Google spokesperson said.

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"But when content is legal and does not violate our policies, we will not remove it just because it is controversial, as we believe that people's differing views, so long as they are legal, should be respected and protected," the spokesperson added.

Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal had asked social websites like Google and Facebook to ensure that uploading of derogatory material online is stopped.

He said the government does not want to interfere but if social networking sites are not willing to cooperate, "then it is the duty of the government to think of steps that we need".

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The government has met the officials from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Yahoo over last few weeks after offensive materials, particularly against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, were put on the Internet.

Search engine giant Yahoo! refused to comment on the views of the minister, while Microsoft officials were not available for comments.

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Social networking site Facebook, which has more than 25 million users in the country, has said it will remove any content that is hateful, threatening and incites "violence" or contains nudity off the service.

"We will remove any content that violates our terms, which are designed to keep material that is hateful, threatening, incites violence or contains nudity off the service.

"We recognise the government's interest in minimising the amount of abusive content that is available online and will continue to engage with the Indian authorities as they debate this important issue," Facebook said in a statement.

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The statement added: "We want Facebook to be a place where people can discuss things freely, while respecting the rights and feelings of others, which is why we have already have policies and on-site features in place that enable people to report abusive content."

Sibal has said that the content posted on some of the sites was so offensive that it would hurt the religious sentiments of a large section of communities in the country.