Twitter challenges Indian orders to block content: reports

Twitter challenges Indian orders to block content: reports

Twitter is challenging the Indian government's orders to block content on its social media site in court, local media reported Wednesday
Twitter is challenging the Indian government's orders to block content on its social media site in court, local media reported Wednesday. Photo: Amy Osborne / AFP
Source: AFP

New feature: Check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block and enjoy!

Twitter is challenging the Indian government's orders to block content on its social media site in court, local media reported Wednesday citing legal documents.

The suit is the latest showdown between Twitter and Indian authorities, which have been accused of muzzling criticism both on and offline.

In the case filed with a court in Bangalore, the social media giant alleged that the basis on which multiple accounts and content flagged by the government was either "overbroad and arbitrary" and "disproportionate", the Indian Express daily reported.

The social media giant submitted to the Karnataka state high court that the ministry had failed to prove how some of the content it wanted taken down violated IT rules, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.

Last week Twitter confirmed that India had directed it to locally censor accounts and dozens of posts, including some talking about declining internet freedom in the world's biggest democracy.

Read also

Ben & Jerry's sues Unilever to block distribution in Israeli settlements

Others were accounts operated by the Pakistani government, sparking an angry response from Islamabad.

PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!

Twitter and the Indian government declined to comment on the court case.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government has sought in recent years to have more control over content on social media in India, where Twitter has over 20 million users.

Last year as India saw massive anti-government protests by farmers, Twitter was ordered to take down dozens of accounts for supporting the demonstrations.

But the US firm reinstated them, angering the government.

An Indian climate activist was also arrested in February 2021 on sedition charges for helping to edit a protest "tool kit" that was tweeted by Greta Thunberg.

New Delhi has accused Twitter of deliberately ignoring new IT rules -- which critics fear could be used to silence dissent -- that came into force in May 2021.

Read also

US court rules distributors not responsible for opioid crisis

That same month, police paid a visit to its offices in the country after a tweet by a spokesperson for Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was labelled as "manipulated media" on the platform.

Just before that, the government ordered Twitter and Facebook to remove dozens of posts critical of Modi's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

New feature: check out news exactly for YOU ➡️ find "Recommended for you" block and enjoy!

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.