Twitter failed to comply with intermediary guidelines despite being given multiple opportunities, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Wednesday after the microblogging platform lost legal protection in India.
Twitter lost legal indemnity in India after it failed to comply with new IT rules which required it to appoint key officers in India. The microblogging platofrm was also booked along with journalists and two congress leaders in connection with an incident where a Muslim man was allegedly assaulted.
Confirming the development, the Union IT & law minister on Wednesday said there have been queries as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. “The simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May,” the Union minister said.
In a series of tweets, Ravi Shankar Prasad said Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the new IT rules but it “deliberately chose 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. 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 Union minister wrote.
On the UP incident, Ravi Shankar Prasad said it was illustrative of Twitter’s arbitrariness in fighting fake news. “While Twitter has been over enthusiastic about its fact-checking mechanism, it’s failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing and indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said.
Reiterating that the law is above all, the Union minister said, “Indian companies be it pharma, IT or others that go to do business in USA or in other foreign countries, voluntarily follow the local laws. Then why are platforms like Twitter showing reluctance in following Indian laws designed to give voice to the victims of abuse and misuse?”
What has Twitter said?
Twitter on Wednesday said it was setting up a local office as advised by consultants in India, leading to a delay in appointing a complaince officer as per the new IT rules.
“We are making progress with relation to establishing an appropriate local office for Twitter Inc with the advice of consultants in India. We have been advised that it is necessary for us to establish this office prior to hiring the CCO and other officers on a permanent basis,” Twitter said in its reply to the government.
On Tuesday, Twitter said it had appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer and the details of the official would be shared directly with the IT Ministry soon.
Last week, the government gave one last chance to Twitter to comply with the new IT rules, which came into effect on May 26. The new law requires tech companies in India, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Google and others to appoint a chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer in the country.
