A senior executive of an ISP said, We have received the letter only today. We will implement it immediately, but obviously there cannot be a pre-dated implementation in such cases. The method, say sources, is a trifle conventional given that the department is abreast with the latest in cyber tech.

Surfers wondered why the government could not post the directive on its website or send e-mails if required for immediate action?

Pawan Duggal a senior cyber law expert said, It's the way government communicates. There is a presumption attached to the legality of the delivery of government directive/ order. IT Act provides enough power to authenticate e-mails as a valid form of communication. Out of the 110-120 ISP licences, there are only 50-60, who are offering services. More intriguing is the fact that only 8-9 operators control the 80-90 per cent of the Internet subscriber base. The ISP giants include Sify, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd (VSNL), Data Infosys, Tata, Bharti and Reliance.

Deepak Maheswari, sec retary general of Independent Service Providers' Association of India (ISPAI) said, The government directive will be followed by our members. But the technology may still allow bloggers to do what they usually do. But senior government officials questioned the way the government has handled the ban logistics. Sources in the government said the IT ministry should have issued the order, because the IT Act, 2000 empowers the Controller of Certifying Authorities to jam sites.

The Act also says the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)  the IT ministry wing responsible for cyber-security  should be the implementing authority.

Instead, the order was issued by DoT, according to the licensing and regulatory power derived from the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885. Obviously, the government acted in haste, a senior government official said. The Controller of Certifying Authorities, in this case, is Dr Gulshan Rai, the head of CERT and executive director of Ernet, the education network.