“Twitter needs to stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land. Lawmaking and policy formulations are the sole prerogatives of the sovereign, and Twitter is just a social media platform and it has no locus in dictating what India’s legal policy framework should be,” the government retorted.
In a strongly-worded reply to micro-blogging site Twitter, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) on Thursday evening slammed the social media platform and said that through its defiance, Twitter is seeking to undermine India’s legal system.
“Twitter’s statement is an attempt to dictate its terms to the worldâs largest democracy. Through its actions and deliberate defiance, Twitter seeks to undermine Indiaâs legal system.” the press release by the Ministry said.
Press Release by Ministry of Electronics and IT (@GoI_MeitY) in response to the statements made by Twitter Inc (@Twitter). pic.twitter.com/HhuDnAGBsU
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) May 27, 2021
This statement comes after Twitter, on Thursday, said it was very concerned with the ârecent eventsâ (Delhi Police’s “visit” to Twitter offices in the Congress Toolkit case) regarding its employees in the country and âthe potential threat to freedom of expressionâ for its users.
âWe, alongside many in civil society in India and around the world, have concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police in response to enforcement of our global Terms of Service, as well as with core elements of the new IT Rules. We plan to advocate for changes to elements of these regulations that inhibit free, open public conversation,â a Twitter spokesperson had said.
“Twitter needs to stop beating around the bush and comply with the laws of the land. Lawmaking and policy formulations are the sole prerogatives of the sovereign, and Twitter is just a social media platform and it has no locus in dictating what India’s legal policy framework should be,” the government retorted.
The government also accused Twitter of having a dual approach in responding to events concerning the US and those concerning India.
“Twitter chose to take suo-moto action against those users who it considered as perpetrators of violence at the Capitol Hill in the USA. But, just a few days after the unlawful incidents on Red Fort in Delhi, Twitter refused to take prompt action on the lawful request made by the Government of India to block contents,” it said.
Also Read: âIntimidation Tacticsâ: Twitter Says Concerned Over âPotential Threat To Freedom…
Citing another example, it said Twitter also chose to show the geo-location of certain locations in Ladakh as part of China at a time when India and China were engaged in a peaceful resolution of border-related issues through bilateral dialogue. “Twitter took several days, that too only after repeated reminders, to rectify this blatant disrespect to India’s sensitivity and territorial integrity.”
The government accused Twitter of having a “lack of responsibility” and said this has led to “rampant proliferation of fake and harmful content against India and Indians”.
“Promoting vaccine hesitancy has been rampantly done through the use of Twitter and yet it has taken no action. Is this commitment to the people of India?” it questioned.
“Twitter Inc., a USA-based private company, in its communique says that it seeks ‘constructive dialogue’, ‘collaborative approach from the government of a sovereign democratic republic to ‘safeguard interests of the public’. It is time that Twitter disabuses itself of this grandiosity and comply with the laws of India,” the government said.
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