The government has issued three notices to the internet media platform regarding Twitter accounts that surfaced during the ongoing farmer protest against agricultural laws. Through this notices, Twitter has been asked to close the account which gives ‘bad’ or provocative and false information about the performance, but the company has neither closed any accounts nor removed the inflammatory tweets from its platform. It is being said on behalf of the company that it wants to negotiate with the government.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has also submitted a list of bad accounts to Twitter along with the notice. Twitter was first given 257 links and asked to block them. Then on February 4, he was given a list of 1,178 accounts by the government and asked to remove them from his platform. The government says that these accounts are either supported by Pakistan or run by Khalistan supporters. Through them, efforts are being made to create instability in the name of opposition to agricultural laws in India.
Twitter also blocked some of these accounts for some time last month. But they were turned on. Not only this, but Twitter CEO Jack Dorsi also liked some of the tweets that protested. Twitter is calling it freedom of expression.
Now the government clearly says that if action is not taken by Twitter, then strict steps will be taken against it under the IT Act. According to Pawan Duggal, a well-known expert in cyberlaw, companies like Twitter are offering their services in India, so they have to follow the applicable law here. If Twitter does not follow the government’s instructions then the government has the right to take punitive action against it. In this, the government can also block or suspend its app and website.
Meanwhile, a Twitter spokesperson in India said the company wanted to talk to India’s technology minister. The company has also approached the minister for formal talks. The spokesman on Monday admitted for the first time that he had received a notice from the government. The spokesperson also said that immediate action was taken after reviewing the government’s report. The company said that the free exchange of information has a positive impact globally, so tweets should continue.
