One Signal, the US-based mobile and web push notifications platform, has filed a petition in the Delhi High-Court challenging a government order which blocked its IP address in India without a hearing or explanation, PTI reported. The company says that the blockage violates its right to do business in India and has created an imparity between it and other platforms.
The petition says that several Internet Service Providers like Airtel, TATA and Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd had blocked its IP address back in July 2020 without an explanation. Advocates Vijay Pal Dalmia, Rajat Jain and Aditya Dhar, appearing for One Signal, said that the government’s blockage has impaired its business in India as customers are not able to avail its services. The petition says that till date no notice or intimation has been received by the company with regards to the blocking of its IP address in India.
The petition reportedly sought for the court’s intervention to permit access to its IP address (104.18.225.52) and set aside the order passed under the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, which falls under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.
The government’s counsel told the court that it will seek instructions on the issues raised in the petition. Justice Prathiba M Singh listed the matter for further hearing on February 11.
One Signal was founded in 2007 just before the global financial crisis. It acts as a one-stop platform for developers and companies to send push notifications and automate in-app messages, SMS’ and emails for their mobile app or desktop customers.
Earlier this month, we reported that Prepp.in, a website targeted at government job aspirants, was shut down by GoDaddy for over a day in December due to a complaint by Meghalaya Police. Prepp.in said that the complaint was against a post that speculated on an exam schedule for Meghalaya Police recruitment.
Last July, LetIndiaBreathe.in and FridaysForFuture.in, both websites owned by Fridays for Future India, the Indian chapter of an environmental advocacy group founded by Greta Thunberg, was reportedly blocked because the National Internet Exchange of India appeared to have received a complaint from Delhi Police that they were mobilising people to overwhelming the email inbox of a cabinet minister with template messages against the Environmental Impact Assessment notification 2020.
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