Facebook, YouTube blocked in Kashmir

Internet users in Kashmir are unable to access Facebook and YouTube. The government had issued orders to Internet service providers to restrict access to the websites. This move is believed to be in response to the protests against the anti-Islam video on YouTube.

It was previously reported that the certain URLs with offensive content had been blocked, but it now seems that access to the entire websites have been restricted. Last month the Government of Jammu & Kashmir had directed service providers to ensure that the controversial YouTube video was not accessible from the state.

The order was issued by the state Home Department, invoking the powers conferred under section 5(2) of the Indian Telegraph Act 1885.

"In the interest of public safety and for maintaining public order, the government directed all licensed Telecom Service Providers and Internet Service Providers to make arrangements to ensure that their subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir should not be able to download or upload the contents" with regard to the video, the order said.

Pakistani Hacker Deface Indian Southern Railways Website

New Delhi: An inactive website of the Southern Railways www.southernrailway.gov.in has been defaced apparently by Pakistani hackers.

The hacker group that calls itself 'Pak Cyber Pyrates' replaced the home page of the website with a page with content that denounces India's role in Kashmir.

The official Southern Railways website moved to a new domain www.sr.indianrailways.gov.in back in 2010.

Inactive websites are a soft target for hackers as they are not constantly monitored. Recently the hacker group Anonymous had targeted an inactive Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) website accusing the company of censoring content on the Internet.

Indian and Pakistani hacking groups are engaged in a cyber war of sorts with websites in both the countries being regularly attacked and defaced.

Updated Aug 07, 2012 at 10:17am IST      Source-IBNLIVE