Following a government warning, Twitter in India suspends more than 500 accounts,twitter india caravan singh tech crunch

Following threats from New Delhi to take legal action against Twitter executives, Twitter announced on Wednesday that it has taken action against more than 500 accounts and had decreased the visibility of some hashtags in India.

Early last week, at the request of New Delhi, Twitter deleted hundreds of Twitter accounts, some of which had connections to farmers’ protests against agricultural reforms. However, within hours, Twitter overturned its decision, citing users’ freedom of speech. On Wednesday, the business announced that it was re-suspending the majority of those accounts, in some cases permanently, and blocking the appearance of specific terms in the Trends section.

Because the business thinks Indian government directives conflict with local law, Twitter handles are only being restricted in India and will still be accessible from other countries. Additionally, it stated that no accounts belonging to journalists, news media organisations, activists, or politicians were deleted. We believe that doing so would be against Indian law’s fundamental guarantee of freedom of expression. We have today’s enforcement actions reported to MeitY [the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology],” it said.

Twitter stated in a blog post that it has received several distinct blocking orders over the course of the previous 10 days from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, in accordance with Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

“Of these, we temporarily cooperated with two emergency banning orders; however, we later restored access to the information in a way that we believe was compliant with Indian law. A non-compliance notice was sent to us after we informed MeitY of this, the San Francisco-based company continued.

For more over two months, millions of farmers have been protesting the new regulations in New Delhi. The most significant online venue for those looking to express their opinions on this issue has emerged as Twitter, which reaches more than 75 million users through its apps in India.

Why aren’t we talking about this? tweeted singer Rihanna last week in response to a CNN news item on the protests. Rihanna has more Twitter followers than any Indian actor or politician. The new legislation, according to the Indian government, are intended to assist farmers and consumers by streamlining the agricultural supply chain. Internet access was also momentarily suspended in New Delhi close to the capital’s protests last month.

A number of individuals have also posted about New Delhi’s agricultural policies with the hashtag #modiplanningfarmersgenocide. The business claimed that a number of accounts and hashtags had broken Twitter’s rules, particularly those that promoted abuse, violence, and threats that could lead to offline harm.

According to a Twitter spokeswoman, hashtags that were only supporting farmers or their protests were not prohibited, according to TechCrunch.

India has voiced worry that many users were disseminating fraudulent and threatening claims as well as provocative messages in one of its orders to Twitter earlier this month. Last week, Twitter temporarily complied with the court’s order by suspending the accounts of several prominent users, including the political commentator Sanjukta Basu, activist Hansraj Meena, actor Sushant Singh, Shashi Shekhar Vempati, the head of the state-run broadcasting organisation Prasar Bharti, and at least two Aam Aadmi Party politicians, Preeti Sharma Menon and Jarnail Singh.

After Twitter removed the restriction, New Delhi warned Twitter and its executives more seriously, invoking Section 69A of the country’s laws, which provides for “punishment with a term of imprisonment for a time which shall be liable to extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fines.” Twitter cannot “take the role of a court and defend non-compliance” in India, according to New Delhi.

“We will continue to fight for the right to free expression on behalf of the clients we represent, and we are actively looking into our legal options in India, both for Twitter and for the affected accounts. We are steadfast in our commitment to preserving the Twitter conversation’s health and firmly believe that Tweets should flow, the business said in a statement today.

Monique Meche, vice president of global public policy, and Jim Baker, deputy general counsel and vice president legal, updated at 10.40 IST, met virtually with the secretary of the government of India’s ministry of electronics and information technology on Wednesday.

The Secretary “reminded Twitter about the steps taken by Twitter during the Capitol Hill crisis in the USA and compared that with the disruption in Red Fort in India and its aftermath,” according to a press release issued by New Delhi Wednesday evening. He complained about Twitter’s treatment of the two situations differently. The Twitter representative was informed that there was “a strong sense of sadness at seeing Twitter side not with those who strive to uphold ‘freedom of expression,’ but rather with those who attempt to misuse such freedom and cause disturbance to public order.”

The Secretary also voiced concern over alleged Twitter abuse in activities “intended to sow discord and unrest in India.” This was deemed unacceptable by the ministry, and Twitter was urged to “take robust action against such well-coordinated operations against India by accordance with the applicable legislation of the land.”

“Twitter as a platform has developed dramatically in India in the last few years due to the country’s favourable business environment, open Internet, and steadfast dedication to the freedom of expression. Twitter must respect Indian laws and democratic institutions as a corporation operating in the country. Like any other commercial entity, Twitter is free to create its own rules and guidelines, but all Indian laws passed by the Indian Parliament must be respected regardless of Twitter’s own rules and guidelines, the statement continues.

All corporate entities must abide with legally granted orders. They must be quickly complied with. If they are put to death days later, it has no significance. When Twitter leadership heard how reluctantly, grudgingly, and slowly Twitter had complied with the bulk of the order, the Secretary conveyed his profound dissatisfaction. He used this chance to remind Twitter that the Constitution and laws of India are superior. It is expected that accountable bodies would continue to be devoted to upholding the law of the land, not just reaffirm it. According to the press release, “The Government informed Twitter leadership that the way in which Twitter officially permits the operation of fraudulent, unverified, anonymous, and automated bot accounts raises questions about its commitment to transparency and positive dialogue on this platform.

Conclusion:

Twitter Announces Plans to Expand in India and Globally Twitter announced that it has acquired ZipDial, an Indian startup that makes it easy for mobile users to connect with local businesses. The deal will allow Twitter to expand to India and other emerging markets.