Viewing Torrent Websites Can Land You in Jail for Three Years


BENGALURU: Recently, a new warning message displayed on torrent websites startled internet users across India. Reports suggest that the Department of Telecommunications has instructed the Internet Service Providers in India to effectively start blocking access to almost all torrent websites and issue strict warnings for the website visitors. The new warning is applicable to all internet users across the country, and if found guilty, they will have to bear a penalty of Rs 3 lacs along with imprisonment of up to three years.

The new warning is reads: “This URL has been blocked under the instructions of the Competent Government Authority or in compliance with the orders of a Court of competent jurisdiction. Viewing, downloading, exhibiting or duplicating an illicit copy of the contents under this URL is punishable as an offence under the laws of India, including but not limited to under Sections 63, 63-A, 65 and 65-A of the Copyright Act, 1957 which prescribe imprisonment for 3 years and also fine of upto 3,00,000/-. Any person aggrieved by any such blocking of this URL may contact at urlblock@tatacommunications.com who will, within 48 hours, provide you the details of relevant proceedings under which you can approach the relevant High Court or Authority for redressal of your grievance.”

As clearly mentioned above, the warning imposes restrictions on viewing, exhibiting, downloading or duplicating a copy of the content. The most tragic and ridiculous part about the message is that even viewing the content is termed as illegal. Additionally, it also hinders several legal uses of torrent websites, which happens to be a confusing factor for users. For instance, Ubuntu, a widely used version of Linux alternatively distributes its operating system via torrent websites. Making torrents illegal in all aspects, the new rule will effectively put a halt on the process of downloading Ubuntu.

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