[Reader-list] sounds fishy, Orkut and cyber crime cell will work together

[Taraprakash]

Orkut's tell-all pact with cops
May 1, 2007

   Think twice before you let loose your thoughts on Orkut. The Google-run community site, which has become a global platform for sharing personal information,
ideas and sentiments and already has nearly 6.6 million registered Indian users (of a total of 49 million worldwide), has entered into a pact with the
Cyber Crime Cell of Mumbai police saying it will not only block those 'forums' and 'communities' that contain 'defamatory or inflammatory content' but
also provide the IP addresses from which such content has been generated.

   In one of the first such cases, Mumbai police recently got Orkut to block allegedly defamatory content about Dr B R Ambedkar, Chhatrapati Shivaji and
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray.

   The pact, which is actually an "informal arrangement" called the Priority Reporting Tool, comes as a big surprise to internet users as Orkut has successfully
blocked attempts by various countries to control content.

   Confirming the arrangement, a Google spokesperson said: "The Priority Reporting Tool between Mumbai police and Google has been designed to improve communication
between Google and police . We are happy the police has found it useful. Google is a responsible company, and we also ensure we protect users' privacy
."

   Deputy Commissioner of Police (enforcement ) Sanjay Mohite said the pact means they do not have to go through the lengthy process of asking the Central
government to communicate with Orkut.

   The practice so far has been to first send a request to the Centre's computer emergency response team in New Delhi. This team processes the request through
its channels and even if a forum is finally blocked, the "culprits" still remain untraceable as no IP addresses can be obtained. If these addresses are
to be found, the CBI then has to get into the picture, which makes the whole process even longer.

   Now we can do away with the process and not just directly ban content but also obtain details of IP addresses and service providers quickly," Mohite
said.

   The IP addresses will enable the Cell to track down people who have posted messages and book them if the need arises, police officials said.
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