--- layout: default title: "Indian Net Service Providers Too Play Censorship Tricks" description: "A Hindu report on a Canadian university study revealing that major Indian ISPs deployed web-censorship and filtering technology used in China and West Asian countries." categories: [Media mentions] date: 2013-02-09 authors: ["T. Ramachandran"] source: "The Hindu" permalink: /media/indian-isps-censorship-tricks-hindu/ created: 2026-01-17 --- **Indian Net Service Providers Too Play Censorship Tricks** is a *The Hindu* report published on 9 February 2013 by T. Ramachandran. The article examines findings from a University of Toronto study showing that major Indian internet service providers had deployed PacketShaper technology capable of blocking websites and throttling traffic, raising concerns about privacy, freedom of expression and anti-competitive practices. ## Contents 1. [Article Details](#article-details) 2. [Full Text](#full-text) 3. [Context and Background](#context-and-background) 4. [External Link](#external-link) ## Article Details
📰 Published in:
The Hindu
📅 Date:
9 February 2013
👤 Authors:
T. Ramachandran
📍 Location:
Kochi
📄 Type:
News Report
📰 Newspaper Link:
Read Online (Subscription required)
## Full Text

The study by a Canadian university has found that some major Indian ISPs have deployed web-censorship and filtering technology.

Your internet service provider (ISP) could be blocking some content. A study conducted by a Canadian university has found that some major Indian ISPs have deployed web-censorship and filtering technology widely used in China and some West Asian countries.

The findings, published on January 15, were the result of a search for censorship software and hardware on public networks like those operated by ISPs.

A research team at Citizen Lab, an interdisciplinary laboratory based at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto, found a software-hardware combo package called PacketShaper being used in many parts of the world, including India.

The study identified the presence of four PacketShaper installations on the networks of three major ISPs in India during the period of study in late 2012. These ISPs had been earlier "implicated in filtering to some degree," the report said.

The deployment of such traffic management technologies by ISPs could threaten privacy, freedom of expression and competition, said Sunil Abraham, Executive Director of the Bangalore-based NGO, Centre for Internet and Society.

He said tools like PacketShaper could be used by ISPs for two types of censorship — "to block entire websites or choke traffic on certain services or destinations in a highly granular fashion."

The U.S.-based producers of the technology, Blue Coat Systems, are quite open about the product features on the company's website. They say it could be used to control and weed out undesirable content. It could also be used to slow down or speed up the operation of programmes and content flow to achieve the goals set by the operators of the networks.

Transparency is the key

Technology experts said such products could be used to exercise legitimate control over the internet traffic and prioritise the use of bandwidth and resources, if used ethically.

"If done in a transparent manner that does not discriminate against different actors within a class it does benefit the collective interest of the ISP's clients. However, it could also be used to engage in hidden censorship against legitimate speech and also for anti-competitive behaviour," said Mr. Abraham.

The study focussed on countries where concerns exist over "compliance with international human rights law, legal due process, freedom of speech, surveillance, and censorship."

{% include back-to-top.html %} ## Context and Background The article reported on research published by Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto on 15 January 2013, which identified the deployment of deep packet inspection technology across multiple countries. The study detected four PacketShaper installations operated by three major Indian ISPs during late 2012, all of which had previously been implicated in content filtering. PacketShaper, manufactured by Blue Coat Systems, was marketed as traffic management equipment capable of controlling bandwidth allocation and filtering content. Whilst such technology could serve legitimate network management purposes, its deployment without transparency raised concerns about covert censorship and potential violations of net neutrality principles. The findings emerged during a period of heightened scrutiny of internet censorship in India, following government directives in 2012 requiring ISPs to block hundreds of websites and social media pages. The lack of disclosure about filtering technologies deployed by commercial ISPs added another dimension to debates about freedom of expression online, as users remained unaware of potential content manipulation or throttling affecting their internet access. ## External Link - [Read on The Hindu](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/indian-net-service-providers-too-play-censorship-tricks/article4394415.ece) (Subscription required)