They said Twitter decided to go to court because of the „seriousness of the threats,” as failure to comply with the law could result in criminal prosecution. Last year, in February, Twitter was told it was „welcome to do business in India,” but that it had to follow the country`s laws „regardless of Twitter`s rules and policies.” The Indian government has previously said that major social media companies, including Twitter, have not complied with removal requests despite their legal status. Reliance Jio, the telecoms arm of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd, led by Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani, on Friday reported a 28.1 percent increase in quarterly profit. But Twitter restored the accounts within six hours, citing „insufficient justification” to maintain the suspension. Twitter, which according to a market research firm has nearly 24 million users in India, also claims in its filing that some of the orders did not notify the authors of the content. Tensions with the Indian government erupted early last year when Twitter refused to comply with an order to remove accounts and posts that New Delhi said spread false information about farmers` anti-government protests. The US company`s attempt to seek judicial review of the orders is part of a growing confrontation with New Delhi. „Whether it`s a company, in any sector, they should abide by the laws of India,” Indian Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told Reuters partner ANI on Tuesday, answering questions about Twitter`s legal decision. The Information Technology Ministry did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. The company has also been the subject of a police investigation in India, and last year many ministers switched to the national platform Koo, accusing Twitter of failing to comply with local laws.
NEW DELHI, July 5 (Reuters) – Twitter on Tuesday asked an Indian court to lift some government orders to remove content from the social media platform, a source familiar with the matter said in a legal challenge alleging abuse of power by officials. All companies, including foreign social media intermediaries, have the right to appeal to the courts, Deputy Information Technology Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in a tweet hours after Twitter`s court decision, without naming the company. Police informed the website after calling a BJP tweet „rigged media”. „But likewise, ALL intermediaries/platforms operating here have a clear obligation to comply with our laws and rules,” he said. The Information Technology Act allows the government to block public access to content in the interest, among other things, of national security. The social media giant has filed a petition with the Karnataka state Supreme Court to oppose „several” such orders, BBC sources said. #TuesdayMusing In India, all foreign internet intermediaries/platforms have the right to judicial review. But likewise, ALL intermediaries/platforms operating here have a clear obligation to comply with our laws and rules.
#Open #SafeTrusted #Accountable #Internet social media giant believes the orders are „procedural and substantially flawed” with the law`s requirements, and many of them „demonstrate excessive use of force and are disproportionate,” sources said. In several cases, for example, there are requests to block entire accounts, the sources added. And several accounts could contain content posted by „official handfuls of political parties.” These included reports from an investigative magazine, as well as activists and groups linked to supporting the months-long protests on the outskirts of Delhi. Hours after the petition was submitted, German Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar tweeted that all foreign internet platforms must comply with Indian laws. This is the latest in an ongoing confrontation between Twitter and India`s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. Some were said to be linked to political content published by official political parties whose blocking constitutes a violation of freedom of expression, the source added. They fall under India`s Information Technology Act, which allows the government to block online content that, among other things, „threatens state security and public order.” It is estimated that Twitter has over 24 million users in India. Late last month, Twitter was warned by the Department of Information Technology of criminal prosecution if it failed to comply with certain orders. Twitter followed suit this week, the source said, so as not to lose warnings as a content host. Over the past year, Twitter has been urged by Indian authorities to respond to content, including accounts supporting an independent Sikh state, posts allegedly spreading misinformation about farmers` protests, and tweets criticizing the government`s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Delhi said such measures were necessary because the companies had violated the constitutional rights of Indians. In a filing with the Supreme Court of the southern Indian state of Karnataka, Twitter argued that some suppression orders did not meet the procedural requirements of India`s Information Technology Act, the source said, without specifying which ones should be reviewed. Anger as India orders Twitter to remove Covid posts Twitter responded to a government letter in June warning of the „serious consequences” of not complying with these orders. In May, Twitter raised concerns about freedom of expression in India, days after police visited its offices in the capital, Delhi. Twitter has filed a lawsuit in India against government orders to remove content. Twitter has also seen a backlash in India for blocking accounts of influential people, including politicians, citing violations of its policies. Sources familiar with the matter said the government warned Twitter in June, saying it was the company`s „last chance” to comply with a series of blocking orders. India, which is among the highest government requests for content removals according to industry transparency reports, is considering changes to its new IT rules, including the introduction of a government-run appellate body empowered to overturn social media companies` decisions to moderate content. Over the past year, authorities have ordered the social media giant to remove tweets and suspend accounts, citing objections based on public order. These include accounts and tweets linked to the massive farmers` protests last year and tweets criticizing the government`s handling of the pandemic. During the farmers` protests, Twitter briefly blocked about 250 accounts in response to a government legal opinion, citing public order objections.