Twitter has chosen a path of deliberate defiance, says IT Minister

The Twitter-Centre row could be reaching a flash point. On Wednesday (June 16), Minister for Electronics & IT Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a statement posted on the microblogging site: “It is astounding that Twitter which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines.”

The minister’s response came after reports emerged that Twitter was likely set to lose its ‘safe harbour’ status which is granted to social media intermediaries.

Also read: Internet imperialism not acceptable: Prasad after new IT guidelines

While Prasad questioned Twitter on its refusal to comply with the new IT Rules 2021, notified in February, he was non-committal on whether Twitter has lost its status as a social media intermediary.

Twitter issued a statement saying that it has appointed an “interim chief compliance officer” and will be sharing details with the Ministry soon. The statement adds that Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines.

Media reports quoting government sources said the social media giant has lost its legal protection in India from prosecution over users’ posts because of its failure to comply with new digital rules.

The first case in which Twitter can face charges for third party content was filed on June 15 in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad. It involves an alleged assault on an elderly Muslim man on June 5. Twitter has been accused in a First Information Report (FIR) of not removing “misleading” content linked to the incident.

The victim alleged that his beard was cut off and he was forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by a group that assaulted him. The UP police said he had lied and that it was not a communal incident as implied in tweets. The police version was that the man was attacked by six people — Hindus and Muslims – who were upset over amulets he had sold them. The attackers had accused the man of selling fake talismans.

Also read: Twitter deletes 52 Centre-flagged posts critical of COVID management

In a thread posted on Twitter, Prasad said that there are “numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision,” and added that the “the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the May 26.”

He also said that the social media platform was given “given multiple opportunities to comply, however, it has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance.”

“The culture of India varies like its large geography. In certain scenarios, with the amplification of social media, even a small spark can cause a fire, especially with the menace of fake news. This was one of the objectives of bringing the Intermediary Guidelines,” he added.

The minister alleged discrimination on behalf of Twitter and called it out for labeling some content as manipulated media, while not doing so with the other content. “Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up process as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulates media, only when it suits, its likes and dislikes,” he wrote.

The minister also mentioned the recent incident in Uttar Pradesh.