VLC developer gets serious over nationwide ban
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The developer behind open source free video editor and player VLC has issued a legal notice to two Indian ministries after the country’s Ministry of Telecommunications (DoT) blocked its website.
“This has been done without notice, or by giving VideoLAN an opportunity to be heard, which is in violation of the 2009 blocking rules and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v Union of India,” VideoLAN said in a statement. declaration. press release (opens in new tab).
The developer is joining forces with India’s digital freedoms group, the Internet Freedom Foundation, and wants to appeal the ban, but also find out why VLC was blocked in the first place.
No reason given
Since the DoT released the . blocked free media player earlier in 2022, its motivation remains a mystery, with the ministry keeping tight-lipped.
In June, the IFF sent a request for Right to Information. The DoT pushed that to the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). The answer? “There is no information available.”
However, some speculate that the ban relates to a Symantec Report (opens in new tab) in the Chinese state-affiliated hacking group Cicada.
The report showed evidence of an “advanced persistent threat group” targeting governmental, legal, religious and non-governmental organizations in Europe, Asia and North America.
According to Symatec, “the attackers also exploit the legitimate VLC Media Player by launching a custom loader via the VLC Exports feature and using the WinVNC tool to remotely control the victim’s machines.”
Jean-Baptiste Kempf, president and developer of VideoLAN, spoke to TechCrunch in August 2022, told the site the blockage may be due to a misunderstanding of a Chinese security issue. He added that the ministry “put their own citizens at risk with this ban” because users could start using less secure websites.
VideoLAN . Legal Notice does not mean that legal action is a guarantee. The company wants a copy of the reasoned blocking order banning its site and the opportunity to defend its position in a virtual hearing. However, if the DoT and MeitY do not follow the rules, it warns that “we have the right and obligation to bring legal proceedings against you for failing to protect our rights.”