Jack Dorsey’s Twitter has run into a controversy in India over new IT rules and content filtering
New Delhi:
All big social media firms except Twitter have shared details required under India’s new information technology rules, government sources have said. Some of these are Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Koo, ShareChat, and Telegram, they said.
Such information includes names of their chief compliance officer, nodal contact persons, and grievance officers.
“Twitter is still not following the rules,” one of the sources said asking not to be named. “Twitter has not yet sent the details of the chief compliance officer to the ministry.”
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) enforced the new rules on Wednesday, making it must for social media platforms to appoint compliance officers in India, set up a grievance response mechanisms, and take down content within 36 hours of a legal order.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has sued the government, saying the rules are unconstitutional and against user privacy.
The government yesterday firmly told Twitter to “stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land” instead of “dictating terms” to the world’s largest democracy.
Following a firm government response, Twitter sent a communication late last night, sharing details of a lawyer working in a law firm in India as their nodal contact person and grievance officer, sources said.
However, the rules require that such officers are employees of the firm and citizens of India.
The microblogging website owned by Jack Dorsey is mired in controversy in India not only over the new IT rules but also content filtering. Earlier this month, it tagged a “Congress toolkit” tweet by BJP leader Sambit Patra as “manipulated media”, inviting the wrath of the government, which sought justification for such flagging. The Congress approached Twitter saying the alleged “toolkit” meant to defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the centre’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis was fake.
Days later, the Delhi police reached the offices of Twitter in the national capital and Gurgaon. The police said the reason it is investigating the matter is to check how Twitter came to a conclusion that the tweet by Mr Patra was “manipulated media”, as without evidence in hand Twitter wouldn’t have made that call.