Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp are currently banned in the Indian-administered Kashmir, as officially the platforms are “being misused by anti-national and antisocial elements”
According to the local government in Kashmir, the social media channels have been banned for the first time due to concerns over inappropriate content some users share on the platforms. The measure is seen as “in the interest of maintenance of public order”.
“The government hereby directs all internet service providers that any message through the following social networking sites shall not be transmitted in Kashmir Valley with immediate effect for a period of one month or till further orders, whichever is earlier,” the official government statement quotes.
The ban aims at Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Wechat, QQ, Qzone, Google Plus, Skype, Line, Pinterest, Snapchat, Youtube, Vine and Flicker.
The decision came after hundreds of people, most of them students, have protested against the authorities in demonstrations that led to violent incidents between them and the police.
As claimed by local authorities, banning social media sites is a preventive measure that targets security in the area.
As everybody is considerably affected by the block, it is expected that the official decision will lead to further crisis and violence. Despite tension escalating in India, banning the channels is a common measure here, as internet services were blocked 28 times since 2012, with disruptions that lasted for five months in a row in some cases.
