India tackles fake order site takedowns

ALLEGED FRAUD: The telecommunications ministry has initiated an investigation into the court orders, which contained fabricated court logos and seals, and a fake QR code

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office summoned the telecommunications secretary yesterday to explain how officials ordered the takedown of more than 100 Web sites based on court orders that Reuters revealed were fake, two government sources said.

The intervention from Modi’s office signals intensifying scrutiny after Reuters on Wednesday revealed that telecom officials directed Internet providers to block 129 illegal betting Web sites based on fake High Court orders which were e-mailed to officials by people posing as lawyers.

While online betting is illegal in India, the case has raised concerns that a lack of safeguards in India’s content-takedown system could allow falsified court documents to be used to block legitimate Web sites.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures as he arrives in Bangalore, India, on Friday.

Photo: EPA

The findings have triggered one criminal investigation by state police against unknown persons for forgery and cheating.

Modi’s office summoned Indian Secretary of Telecommunications Amit Agrawal to appear and explain the lapse, cutting short Agrawal’s trip to another state, the sources said.

“The action taken by the Department of Telecommunications against betting accounts was carried out through the relevant field officers,” one of the sources said.

Court precedents generated using artificial intelligence have caused concerns among judges the world over.

India’s Supreme Court in July set aside a tribunal’s orders that relied on non-existent judgements, and a US judge recently disqualified lawyers over use of fabricated legal citations.

The telecoms ministry had initiated an internal investigation into the alleged fraud, while police have sought ministry records as part of a criminal investigation.

The two state court orders revealed to be fake, based on comments from police and the court registry, contained fabricated court logos and seals, as well as a fake QR code.

They were for months available publicly on the Department of Telecommunications’ Web site, along with correspondence that showed government officials ordering Internet providers to remove the Web sites.