Google and Facebook ordered to block content from Indian web sites

INTERNET GIANTS Google and Facebook have been ordered to remove content from some Indian domain web sites.

According to Reuters, the two firms took down the content on Monday after a court directive warned of a crackdown "like China" if they did not take steps to protect religious sensibilities.

The court order came after private petitioners took a number of firms to court over images deemed offensive to Muslims, Christians and Hindus. Google and Facebook are two of 21 companies ordered to block the material.

Last year, India passed a law making firms responsible for user content posted on their web sites, giving them 36 hours to take down content if there is a complaint. Last month, the companies said it was not possible for them to block content.

Google did not comment on what was removed, and Facebook apparently will release a statement later.

India has a population of 1.2 billion, and even though less than one in ten of those has access to the internet, the country is the third biggest internet market after China and the US.

India's internet is fairly open at the moment but could be at risk of censorship due to growing concerns over social media. µ