The Center may arrest top Twitter officials in India, saying their list of accounts sought to curb “inflammatory content” was not negotiable.
The government said it was “running out of patience” over the company’s refusal to comply with earlier notices given under section 69A of the IT Act, Times of India.
India on Wednesday rebuked Twitter for not following its orders to pick up certain materials and warned the social media giant that it needed to follow local laws, even Indian lawmakers Urged his followers to move from house to house rival Koo.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in a statement, “The Secretary expressed his deepest dismay towards the Twitter leadership, the way Twitter reluctantly, severely and with substantial delays in compliance with substantial parts of the order. He Took this opportunity. Remind Twitter that in India, its constitution and laws are supreme. It is expected that responsible entities not only reaffirm, but remain committed to compliance with the land law. “
The Secretary of the IT Ministry held a virtual meeting with Twitter Vice President Global Public Policy Monique Matchey and Deputy General Counsel and Vice President Legal Jim Baker.
The report said that the US micro-blogging giant, which had partially canceled about half of the accounts sought by the government to be blocked, can now approach the courts because it is “right to free expression” “Is in defense of. On behalf of the people we serve ”.
India has ordered the removal of over 1,100 accounts and posts on Twitter alleging that misinformation is being spread about widespread protests by Indian farmers against the new agricultural laws.
Twitter Inc said in a public blog post on Wednesday that it then instigated the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it has not fully complied with the government’s order as it believes that some of the lay-down orders conform to Indian law Were not.
“.. In keeping with our principles of defending freedom of protected speech and expression, we have not taken any action on accounts that include news media entities, journalists, activists and politicians. To do so, we assume , Would violate their fundamental right to free expression under Indian law.
Twitter’s plea for a meeting with Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad was rejected and the government did not take kindly to make Twitter public.
“At the request of Twitter seeking a meeting with the government, Secretary Sahni was to engage with the senior management of Twitter. In this light, a blog post published before this engagement is unusual, ”said the IT Ministry on Ku, a newly launched Indian social media app.
The government also said, “Twitter is free to formulate its own rules and guidelines. But Indian laws enacted by the Parliament of India must be followed despite Twitter’s own rules and guidelines.”