SC notice to MS, Google, Yahoo, FB

New Delhi, Dec. 5: The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from Internet majors Google, Microsoft, Yahoo and Facebook on a plea seeking curbs on sharing of sexual offence videos on social networking sites and steps to check cybercrimes.

A bench of Justices M.B. Lokur and U.U. Lalit issued notice to these companies and sought their reply on the plea by January 9.

Advocate Aparna Bhatt, appearing for petitioner NGO Prajwala, said rape videos are shot and posted on the social networking sites and the internet companies should take steps to curb such cybercrime.

Additional solicitor-general Maninder Singh, representing the Centre, detailed the steps taken by Union home ministry and CBI which is the nodal agency for cybercrimes.

He said that the debate over making public the names of sexual offenders is on in India and abroad and whatever decision is taken in this regard will be implemented.

To this, the bench said that if the names of sexual offenders are to be made public then it should be done only after the conviction in the offence, not just after the case is lodged.

“It will tarnish the image of a person, if he is acquitted in the sexual offence case,” it said. The bench also directed that if the police finds nothing against a person after probing a sexual offence case, then CBI will not interrogate that person with regard to the cybercrime aspect related to the offence. — PTI