Maharashtra Cyber Requests Central Government to Block Wikipedia and Proton Mail

Maharashtra Cyber Asks Centre to Block Wikipedia and Proton Mail for Failure to Comply

MUMBAI: The cyber police cell of Maharashtra has formally asked the central government to block Wikipedia and Proton Mail for their “repeated non-compliance” with the Information Technology ActThe appeal follows the websites failing to act on “multiple legal notices and warnings” over objectionable content and misuse for serious criminal activity on their sites.

The recommendations were unveiled by Yashaswi Yadav, head of Maharashtra Cyber, in a press conference on FridayThe letter was addressed to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, recommending that these sites be blocked under the applicable provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000.

Yadav pointed out that the virtual world has undergone a drastic transformation with accelerating technological developments and easy access to anonymized internet sites. While they enable unfettered access to information and communication, they are also sources of potential abuse in the form of misinformation, cyber threats, stalking, and the hiding of identities while committing crimes.

Yadav quoted a recent case where Maharashtra Cyber had filed an FIR after objectionable and defamatory content was posted on Wikipedia. “Multiple notices were sent to Wikipedia and its parent body, the Wikimedia Foundation, asking for the objectionable content to be removed and for user information responsible for the edit to be shared,” he said. Yet, despite repeated communications, Wikipedia failed to comply. Subsequently, the cyber cell sent a strong warning, indicating that non-compliance could lead to its services being blocked in India under Section 69A of the IT Act.

Likewise, Proton Mail, an end-to-end encrypted email provider that focuses on privacy, has allegedly been abused for malicious criminal acts in various instances. There was one case when Proton Mail was utilized to send fake bomb threats to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai. “Several FIRs were registered in this connection and legal notices were issued to Proton Mail seeking vital user information for investigation. None of them responded,” Yadav elaborated.

In another case, a well-known school in Mumbai was hacked via Proton Mail with spurious and malicious emails to defame it. There was also an incident of harassment via emails requiring sexual favors and disseminating obscene and defamatory material among acquaintances.

Maharashtra Cyber has since served notices to Proton Mail under the provisions of the law invoking cooperation, but, as Yadav indicates, the site has not responded or cooperated with the investigations. In light of this continued non-cooperation, Maharashtra Cyber has officially suggested that the central government act to block both Wikipedia and Proton Mail under the provisions of the IT Act that apply.