Kapil Sibal's content screening move: What India's Twitterati says

Kapil Sibal's efforts to prescreen content on social networking sites sparked off a sprightly debate on the very sites the minister appeared intent to muzzle.

While some invoked Voltaire's "I do not agree with a word you say but I will defend to death your right to say it", others protested that "no right is unbridled".

Facebook's statement on the issue

The telecom minister, wanting to play the Big Brother, had asked Google, Yahoo, MSN and Facebook to prescreen objectionable material against politicians and religious communities.

Here's what India's 'twitterati' had to say -

SHASHI THAROOR
Have to say I support Kapil Sibal on the examples he gave me: deeply offensive material about religions & communities that could incite riots

VARUN GANDHI
Internet is the only truly democratic medium free of vested interests, media owners & paid- off journos. Can see why Sibal wants to gag it

CHETAN BHAGAT
I hate some of the stuff written on the Internet, but I'd hate it even more if they were not allowed to write it. You can't censor the Internet. You shouldn't censor the Internet.

PRITISH NANDY
This is my country. Freedom of speech is my birthright. You can go to hell sir

OMAR ABDULLAH
If push came to shove I'd come down on the side of freedom of speech but... We want the luxury of free speech but not the burden of responsibility for how we use that freedom

JHUNJHUNWALA RAKESH JHUNJHUNWALA:
Don't think Sibal even understands the internet. This happens when you make a lawyer an IT Minister. Like hiring Mayawati for an item song

RWAC48 LT GEN HS PANAG(R)
Opened the papers to see that Herr Himmler is alive & at wk in India, VIKASSAHAY Get well soon Kapil Sibal

NIVASWASHINTON RT @ KIRANKS:
Is Kapil Sibal competing with Diggy Raja to win "The Most Loyal Sonia Gandhi Sycophant" award?

HINDU_ TWEETER RT @ ADITHYASHETTYT: RT @ FREE_ FALLIN_ : RT @ JOYDAS:
Dear Pakistan, Pls give us back the Monkey you arrested. In Exchange, take Kapil Sibal

DHAWANNIKUNJ RT @ ADITI_ MALHOTRA: WORD "@ JHUNJHUNWALA :
The only thing that needs Censorship is Kapil Sibal's Mouth

AMRITASHAHIDFAN
Maybe Kapil Sibal will back off if we agree to rename the internet as ' Shrimati Sonia Gandhi Antarrashtriya Computer Mayajaal'

Among the so-called offensive photographs circulating on the Internet are Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi as man and wife. Kapil Sibal showed the below photographs to the representatives of the companies he met.