Digital
Vikatan website blocked; MD B Srinivasan to take legal action if he fails to get block removed
MUMBAI: Tamil media publication Vikatan managing director B Srinivasan was a little taken aback when on 15 February his website became inaccessible to him and the 80 lakh readers who access it daily. A notice displayed on the home page said the website had been blocked as per the direction of law enforcement agencies.
On what grounds?
Well, the publication had put out what it considered a harmless political satirical cartoon on 10 February, which depicted prime minister Modi in chains alongside US president Trump . This apparently upset BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai who filed a formal complaint with the ministry of information & broadcasting (MIB) and the Press Council of India, claiming the cartoon was objectionable on 15 February.
By 6:00 PM that evening, Vikatan’s website became inaccessible to many users, though the organisation received no immediate explanation for the outage.Since then, the website either has taken forever to open or when it does, it says it is an insecure website and a security risk.
The 99-year-old publication, which has a history of standing up to government pressure, promptly sought clarification from the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) regarding the domain blockage. Officials from the Press Bureau of India also visited Vikatan’s registered office to enquire about the print availability of Vikatan Plus, which was confirmed to be a digital-only publication.
The MIB subsequently informed Vikatan about an upcoming inter-departmental committee meeting under the IT Rules, 2021, scheduled for 20 February to review the blocking of content. While granting Vikatan until this date to prepare their response, the ministry maintained that the emergency blocking orders would remain in effect.
Vikatan has stated it will present its case at the hearing and is prepared to pursue legal action if the decision conflicts with press freedom principles. The publication cited its long history of speaking truth to power, noting previous instances of government action, including being shut down by the British in 1942 and having its editor imprisoned in 1987.
The case has drawn significant attention as it may set a crucial precedent for media freedom in India, with Vikatan emphasising the need for transparency in actions against media houses.
The blocking has drawn widespread condemnation from political leaders across party lines. Tamil Nadu chief minister M.K. Stalin, along with prominent figures including MDMK general secretary Vaiko, actor Kamal Haasan, and author Arundhati Roy, have denounced the action as an attack on press freedom.
Said: Srinivasan “For over a century, Vikatan has been a steadfast advocate for freedom of expression and has consistently upheld journalistic integrity.”
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
