SC wants firewall to check cyber crime

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 1

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked global search engines Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp to take measures to prevent uploading of rape or gangrape videos.

A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur asked these companies to come up with a "firewall" in three weeks on the lines of the one evolved in China that automatically prevents uploading of any offensive material on the social media. The court will take up the matter for further hearing on February 21. 

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The court is seized of a PIL filed by Prajwala, an NGO, highlighting instances of uploading of gangrape videos on Yahoo and WhatsApp messenger services. In February 2015, it had taken suo motu cognisance of a letter written by the NGO and converted it into a PIL. The NGO had also sent two gangrape videos with its letter for action.