Flipkart's sexual-wellness section too hot for Telangana govt, to be banned in state?

Flipkart, which launched a sexual-health and wellness in July 2014 could be facing a possible ban in the state of Telangana as the state government has said it finds its offerings ‘objectionable.’

According to an Economic Times report, the Telangana government has set it sights on blocking sites like Iambesharam.com, Thatspersonal.com and Ohmysecrets.com (all of which sell adult-themed selling sex related products) and also Flipkart.

The state government has asked various Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to ensure that these sites are blocked under the IT Act of 2000.

One government official told ET that the decision was taken because the government wanted to block porn sites as they lead to crimes against women. While this is an oft-repeated argument, that porn websites lead to crime against women, it is strange that the government thinks that e-commerce portals should also be banned.

Also while Flipkart’s name has come up in the list, e-commerce sites like Snapdeal, Amazon and others which also have similar sections do not seem to have caught the state government’s eye yet. Snapdeal and Amazon also have sexual-wellness sections like Flipkart which sell the same products like sex toys, kits, edible-lingerie, lubricants and condoms among other items.

While Flipkart has not responded to the story, it remains to be seen if the state government’s request to block what it deems as ‘objectionable content’ online will actually be carried out. For now, it sounds like another over-enthusiastic move by a government to curb online freedom.

The report comes soon after the Indian government blocked 32 websites including Vimeo, Github, etc for alleged ‘anti-India’ content and jihadist propaganda. The 32 websites were later unblocked.

The order was issued to block all 32 websites following complaint of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad that ISIS was disseminating content through them. All websites later responded that they will work with government and removed the content.

Given the way Vimeo-Github ban saw considerable outrage all across social-media, it’s likely that the Telangana government’s move, if it is carried out, will witness a similar outcry.