Srinagar: Notwithstanding a ban imposed on them by Jammu and Kashmir Government, all the 22 social networking sites and applications including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter were accessible in many parts of Kashmir on Thursday.
Internet users could access the banned sites and applications using broadband connections or 2G network on their mobile phones.
“I will check with higher authorities about the issue,” BSNL Public Relations Officer Masood Bala said when asked as to how these banned sites were still accessible.
Officials from private telecom companies said on condition of anonymity that they have informed the state government that they were unable to block these sites. Many users of these applications were able to access these sites through virtual private network (VPN).
A significant number of Facebook users, hailing from areas where these sites could not be accessed from regular networks, posted messages about how to use VPN to bypass the social media curbs.
The state home department stopped transmission of the 22 sites and applications on the grounds that these were being misused by “anti-national and anti-social elements for spreading inflammatory messages.”
“In the interest of maintenance of public order, the government hereby directs all internet service providers that any message or class of messages… Shall not be transmitted in Kashmir with immediate effect for a period of one month or till further orders, whichever is earlier,” Principal Secretary Home Department R K Goyal had said in the three-page order.
The sites and applications which were to be blocked include Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Wechat, QQ, Qzone, Google Plus, Skype, Line, Pinterest, Snapchat, Youtube (only upload), Vine and Flickr.
Goyal invoked the powers conferred on government under Indian Telegraph Act 1885 read with Indian Telegraph (Amendment) Rules 2007 to ban these sites and applications.
Mobile internet services were suspended in Kashmir on April 17 following widespread student protests in Kashmir. (PTI)