The Department of Telecommunications in a discreet order on 31 July asked internet service providers to block access to 857 websites, including humour site 9GAG and CollegeHumor as well as Playboy, citing the threat to public morality.
"The government is directing Internet service providers as an interim measure to disable porn sites featuring child pornography. Other considerations will be looked into after court hearing," a top-level source said.
The order was criticised as censorship and sparked raging debate on social media and other platforms, following which Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took a high-level review meeting on Tuesday.
After the meeting, which was attended by IT Secretary RS Sharma and Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, Prasad told
PTI that it was decided that ISPs would be immediately asked not to block those sites which do not contain any pornographic material.
Modi govt gives in, lifts ban on websites that do not host child pornography - Firstpost