Google gets in Kashmir

With J&K exhibiting one of the highest cell phone penetration rates in India, data dependence is luring searching giant Google into the state, very soon : Reports J&K has finally crossed the psychological barrier. By the end of January, it now boats of having 11272751 cell phone users. In a population of around 12.5 million, a teledensity of more than 91 percent means there is only nine percent of the population still lacking access to a mobile phone. Part of it lives in the border areas of the state where…

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Hizbul’s twitter handler posts pro-India tweets, blasts Kashmir separatist leaders

The Twitter handle of banned militant organisation Hizbul Mujahideen began posting pro-India tweets that denounced Kashmir’s separatist leadership on Friday morning, astounding many across the Valley. While this development led observers to believe that hackers had taken control of the militant organisation’s handle, the Hizbul leadership has not issued any clarification in this regard. The tweets under contention were critical of several important resistance leaders, including Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front head Yasin Malik and Hurriyat Conference chairperson Syed Ali Shah Geelani. “Syed Ali Shah Geelani is a puppet of…

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‘On-line War’ begun between Kashmiri’s & Indian Patriots on FaceBook, Twitter

Uri Attack movement of Pride or Shame for India? A questions for the Intellectuals of India & Indian Media who have left no stone unturned to manipulate things.  Many Indians have already started an “On-line War” against Kashmiris after the militant attack on the Indian Army in Uri. As soon as news of the attack broke, a large number of Indian netizens hit the popular sites of Twitter and Facebook with abuse and mockery of Kashmiris and justified the killings of protesters in the past two-and-a-half months of the anti-India uprising in Kashmir.…

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BSNL plans free voice, cheaper package than Jio

State-run BSNL will be the first to cut tariffs to better Reliance Jio ‘s offer, a top official said on Wednesday, setting the stage for a price war in the country’s crowded mobile telecom market. The public sector player is planning to follow Jio in offering free voice calling on its network, and at plans that will be cheaper than the new entrant’s. And unlike Jio’s offer that is available for only 4G subscribers, the BSNL plan will be open to 2G and 3G users, which constitute the majority of…

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Error or terror: Deleting Posts, Banning Accounts, is Facebook acting as a Censor Board on Kashmir?

Kashmir-related posts have no place on Facebook it seems. Accounts are being banned and posts are being deleted, if Kashmir is discussed. Freedom of expression takes a hit in Kashmir. For over a month now, people of Kashmir have been without mobile communication services and internet access. The death of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani in Kashmir sparked massive unrest in the state and now even censorship seems to be knocking on the Valley’s doors. For three straight days, even daily newspapers were stopped from being circulated and now, even…

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Net-savvy hit the streets in hunt for Wi-Fi

People seen with smartphones hooked to Wi-Fi hotspots in alleys Apart from the protesters, a new breed of people busy with cellphones in their hands can be seen on street corners, alley’s or shopping malls of the curfew-bound Srinagar city. With mobile Internet services remaining banned in the region for the past 21 days following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani on July 8, these people with smartphones look for the Wi-Fi hotspots to hook onto Internet and social networking sites. It is because of the snapping of…

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Facebook under fire for ‘Censoring’ Kashmir-related Posts and Accounts

Photos, videos and accounts deleted after killing of militant by Indian army ‘Why is it that only Muslims get blocked?’ asks user after account blocked Facebook has censored dozens of posts and user accounts after the death of a high-profile Kashmiri separatist militant, who was killed by the Indian army earlier this month. Academics, journalists and the pages of local newspapers are among those who have had photos, videos and entire accounts deleted by Facebook after they posted about recent events in the disputed territory. Burhan Wani, a senior member…

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700 social media sites, accounts may be blocked

Most sites operate from across border; one of the handlers held Intelligence agencies in J&K have identified over 700 sites and Facebook accounts that are instigating gullible Kashmiri youth to indulge in violence by posting provocative posts and comments. These sites and accounts are likely to be blocked by the authorities to ensure peace in the region. Highly placed sources said that during the past two months, intelligence agencies in J&K have been studying reasons for radicalisation of youth in the Valley. While analysing social media messages and posts, it…

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How smartphones are shaping Kashmir’s insurgency

It is all too easy to dismiss the upsurge in violence in Indian-administered Kashmir this weekend as just another cycle in a conflict that has ebbed and flowed ever since the country received independence in 1947. But that would be to ignore a new factor that is transforming the nature of protest in the region. There’s a clue to what is happening in the government’s response to the threat of disorder. Burhan Wani, the young militant leader whose death sparked the latest explosion of violence, was killed in a gun…

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Modi’s ‘Digital India’ initiative comes crashing down in Kashmir

At a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Digital India’ is hogging headlines across India, the much hyped initiative is coming crashing in Kashmir. Kashmir Post carries out a random survey and tried to look into the massive programme. While the government is trying to digitise its data and trying to promote Digital India to ensure that government services are made available to all the citizens electronically by improving online infrastructure and by increasing internet connectivity, it is neglecting the computer education at the primary level. In government-run schools there…

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