NEW DELHI: Censorship online is increasing in India, a new report by Internet giant Google reported. According to the report, the country saw a 49 percent rise in online censorship, but did say the trend was problematic across the world as governments attempt to crackdown on content. It said it was most surprised by the rise in censorship in Western democracies. India was not singled out as a culprit of online censorship. The report continued to say that it received more than 1,000 requests from governments across the planet during the last half of 2011 to take down YouTube videos and certain search listings. More than half the time, Google said it complied with the requests. The Internet giant said political comments were a prime target as the number of requests for the company to remove content from the reach of Internet users jumped manifold. “We noticed that government agencies from different countries would ask us to remove political content that the users had posted,” a top Google official said in comments published by Times of India. He said the number of content removal requests received by Google in India was 49 percent higher in the second half of last year than in the first 6 months. Online Internet website developer Niraj Gundner told Bikyamasr.com in Delhi that the report is “worrying” because “it shows that the Indian government is trying to bully its citizens to not search for certain topics. “It really doesn't matter what people are searching for, they should be allowed to do so in the privacy of their own homes,” he added.
