Internet service providers in India have blocked The Pirate Bay and other large BitTorrent sites. Visitors who try to access the sites are redirected to a banner which informs them that the Department of Telecommunications ordered a blackout. Torrent sites are not the only target, as the blockade also censors the video sharing site Vimeo, one of the largest communities of indie filmmakers.

Reports suggest that the ban seems to be a government-directed one, and subscribers to all major Internet service providers in the country seem to be among those affected. Some of the sites are still accessible and hence there still is a certain level of ambiguity as to subscribers to which ISPs have been affected by the blockage. 

Users of the Internet services provided by ISPs, like Reliance Communications and Zylog Wi5, reportedly have lost access to these websites, and those trying to access these websites now will be met by an announcement by the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which states that the website has been blocked “as per instructions from the Department of Telecommunications (DoT).”