The world's largest democracy has blocked its citizens from accessing Yahoo!'s news groups, causing havoc to India's flourishing IT industry.

The Indian government's Computer Emergency Response Team imposed a blanket ban, citing postings in the 'kynhun' group as justification. The forum carries postings by the secessionist group the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council, one of 14 organizations banned in India (The ban was imposed in November 2000).

Yahoo! was asked to remove the forum and refused to comply, according to reports. With 82 members (20 a week ago) and just 33 postings in a year, it isn't exactly busy.

This is the first ban under India's CERT-In law. On CERT's own discussion board some users blame technical incompetence by the IT ministry, while others point the finger at the ISPs.

"If ISPs are incompetent [to block a single group], please do not block the entire stuff. it will make India, so called IT super power a laughing stock," wrote one poster.

"I can't stop laughing at CERT-in!" wrote another. "On one side we are boasting of India being a IT superpower and the brains and the way we will reach the league of developed nations soon, and then our own Government agency (which is supposed to be full of smart guys from bluechip universities) behaves like a stupid dumb pumpkin-faced potbellied dunghead."

Reports differ on how many ISPs had complied with the government order. (Do you know?)

Last year the Indian ISP Association discussed blocking sites including Yahoo! unless their owners paid the trade body a fee. The plan was never implemented. ®

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