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Blogger were angry in India, and based on the BBC Report, perhaps rightfully so.  The federal government in India banned 17 websites in the country.  One of the sites was Google’s Blogger sites, effecting over 40,000 blogs alone.

“We want answers. Has the government goofed? Or is really talking censorship? With all our problems in India I was naive enough to feel that I was always free to express myself,” writes blogger Dina Mehta.

I can understand the outrage as government control appeared to be heightened for Indian bloggers.

A federal government notification of July 2003 says it can ban websites in the interest of:

* sovereignty or integrity of India
* security of the state
* friendly relations with foreign states and public order
* preventing incitement to commissioning of any cognisable offences.

Although this information is old and (hopefully) outdated, it’s interesting to keep in mind.  Even though angry blogs are annoying and in my opinion plague the Internet and can be hurtful and hateful, there is still something to be said for freedom of speech, and for that we should all be grateful.