DoT orders not followed? Know why Ola, Uber websites cannot be blocked

It’s good news for the aam aadmi. Internet service providers (ISPs) have written to Department of Telecom (DoT) that they will not be able to block the websites of these cab providers. The DoT on May 12, had asked ISPs to block the websites of these app-based taxi operators such as Ola and Uber following a request by the Delhi government.

According to an ET report, Rajesh Chharia, the president of Internet Service Providers Association of India said that ISPs can only block http sites and not https sites. “https sites have higher encryption code.

The report also quoted an ISP service provider which noted that cab companies such as Ola and Uber could not be blocked as they were https sites while TaxiforSure could be as it was a http site.

"We can only block http sites and not the https sites as the latter have higher encryption codes," Rajesh Chharia, the president of the Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI) said. According to an ISP service provider, Uber and Ola are https sites, but TaxiForSure could be blocked as it is an http site.

In a separate development, the Road Transport ministry on Thursday said that these cab companies will be regulated by states under the Motor Vehicles Act. The directive came following a telecom department query that sought clarity regarding the regulation of the internet-based cab operators. According to the report by ET, there has been confusion as it was not clear if these taxi providers are regulated by the Information technology Act or the Motor Vehicles Act.

The road ministry will now send a formal communication to direct all states to regulate apps of these cabs on Friday.

Image Credit: Indiatimes.com