Internet giants pull content after warning in India courts | Reuters

This is old news but I have highlighted the relevant provisions. It is
amply clear:
1) Anyone can make any case for blocking the web as we know of; one just
needs a "proof" of hurt "sensibilities".
2) Fatwas are easy to issue.
3) The courts don't realize the gravity of their pronouncements;
specially when it concerns internet freedom.

Arguably it is a huge subjective argument over what hurts anyone's
emotions but it cannot be dictated by someone's whims and fancies.

At the same time, these "internet giants" would bend over backwards to
accommodate the repressive regimes. Noting beats them more than a simple
threat of being blocked at the ISP level. Simple.

Remember the brouhaha over Google vs China? The Indian Government after
RIM and Blackberry? Beware. Beware.

(I am not advocating to be paranoid here but merely to be more vigilant.
You don't let anyone in your house uninvited, do you? Do you keep your
house open in the night? Do you let your kids wander of in middle of the
night? Do you feel secure always that no one else would hurt you? If the
answer is no to all, make sure that you take proactive steps to keep a
close watch on who's watching your EVERY move, EVERY click
surreptitiously).

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/06/us-india-internet-idUSTRE8150M720120206

That suit was brought by scholar, Mufti Aijaz Arshad Qasm, who runs a
website called fatwaonline.org that gives answers to moral questions.

Google, Facebook, Yahoo! and Microsoft have appealed in the Delhi High
Court against a separate criminal case successfully brought by
journalist Vinay Rai.

The High Court has yet to rule on their appeal, but the sitting judge
warned in January they were responsible for content on their websites
and said he could block sites "like China" if they did not get their
house in order.

In the Rai case, the court ordered the companies to stand trial for
offences relating to the distribution of obscene material to minors,
after being shown images it said were offensive to Prophet Mohammed,
Jesus and various Hindu gods and goddesses, as well as several political
leaders.