Advertisement

News

VLC prepared to fight back against India’s nationwide ban

VLC prepared to fight back against India’s nationwide ban
Russell Kidson

Russell Kidson

  • Updated:

VideoLAN, the creator of the free video player and editing utility, VLC media player, has hit two Indian ministries with legal notices in response to the country’s recent ban on its software. The company asserts that the ban was illegal and is in contravention of prior decisions made by the Supreme Court of India. 

As VideoLAN asserted in a recent press release: ‘This was done without any prior notice, or affording VideoLAN an opportunity of hearing, which is contrary to the 2009 Blocking Rules and the law laid down by the Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v Union of India.’ VideoLAN is not on its own, however. India’s Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has joined forces with VideoLAN to try and get to the root of the block and appeal the ban. 

India’s Department of Telecommunications, the entity that instated the ban in the first place, has remained silent on the matter. In June 2022, the Internet Freedom Foundation submitted an application for the Right to Information. The application was issued to the DoT, which then pushed it through to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Despite being the best equipped to level a meaningful response in the matter, MeitY issued the standard ‘No information is available’ retort. 

VLC developer gets serious over nationwide ban main

Even though India has yet to respond to VideoLAN’s correspondences, some people suspect that the reason behind the ban may have to do with Cicada. Cicada is a Chinese hacking group with links to the State. Cicada is mentioned in a Symantec report that details the group’s use of VideoLAN IP, particularly the VLC media player, as a means of delivering remote control malware to unsuspecting devices across Asia, Europe, and North America. The report describes evidence of an ‘advanced persistent threat group’ that targets legal, religious, governmental, and civilian organizations in these territories. 

Even though VideoLAN’s recent actions don’t guarantee that the company will take legal action, there is every chance that the situation could end up there in any case. Should India not be forthcoming with its cooperation in this matter, VideoLAN has warned that it ‘will be entitled and compelled to initiate legal proceedings against you for failing to protect our rights.’

VLC media player is an incredible utility and the solution to those weird visuals you used to get on Windows Media Player when trying to play ‘unsupported content.’ If you’ve always wondered how to run multiple instances in VLC media player, we’ve got you covered.

Russell Kidson

Russell Kidson

I hail from the awe-inspiring beauty of South Africa. Born and raised in Pretoria, I've always had a deep interest in local history, particularly conflicts, architecture, and our country's rich past of being a plaything for European aristocracy. 'Tis an attempt at humor. My interest in history has since translated into hours at a time researching everything from the many reasons the Titanic sank (really, it's a wonder she ever left Belfast) to why Minecraft is such a feat of human technological accomplishment. I am an avid video gamer (Sims 4 definitely counts as video gaming, I checked) and particularly enjoy playing the part of a relatively benign overlord in Minecraft. I enjoy the diverse experiences gaming offers the player. Within the space of a few hours, a player can go from having a career as an interior decorator in Sims, to training as an archer under Niruin in Skyrim. I believe video games have so much more to teach humanity about community, kindness, and loyalty, and I enjoy the opportunity to bring concepts of the like into literary pieces.

Latest from Russell Kidson

Editorial Guidelines