Viewing torrent sites in India can lead to jail time; Twitterati react

Twitter went abuzz with reactions following the report by a major news website that simply visiting and viewing a torrent website or any other blocked URL in India may result in a 3-year jail sentence and a hefty Rs 3 lakh fine...

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In a bid to curb online piracy, espcially illegal downloads of popular films, television shows and even pornographic content, the Indian government has cracked down heavily on several websites that supply the content in recent years. (Read more)

The dark web made news in recent months after copies of new Bollywood releases like 'Udta Punjab', 'Great Grand Masti' became available ahead of time before release. The makers of 'Great Grand Masti' had reported heavy losses following the leak of the film on the internet almost over a week before the release date.

India's film industry, said to be the largest globally with some 1,000 movies produced each year, earns around $2 billion from legitimate sources such as screening at theatres, home videos and TV rights. But with $2.7 billion, piracy earns 35 per cent more, and a way out has proved elusive. (Read more)