‘It’s inconsistent in fighting misinformation’ — India accuses Twitter of non-compliance with IT rules

India has accused Twitter, the microblogging platform, of not complying with the country’s new IT rules.

The new IT rules, which came into effect on May 26, requires social media and over-the-top (OTT) platforms to appoint a grievance officer whom the Indian authorities can reach when there are complaints about content.

In February, the Indian government gave social media platforms three months to comply with the new rules.

It said if the companies failed to comply, they would lose their status as “intermediaries”, which protects them from criminal prosecution if any content posted by their users violates Indian laws.

The Indian government said, on June 5, that Twitter had not complied with the rules and gave it one last notice to do so.

On Wednesday, there were reports that India had withdrawn intermediary status for Twitter.

Also, Ravi Prasad, India’s IT minister, in a series of tweets on Wednesday, criticised the social media platform for not complying with the new rules.

While citing a recent incident in Uttar Pradesh (UP), which is currently under investigation, Prasad said Twitter has not shown commitment to its policy on checking misinformation.

“There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, 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,” he wrote.

“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.

“Further, what is perplexing is that Twitter fails to address the grievances of users by refusing to set up process as mandated by the law of the land. Additionally, it chooses a policy of flagging manipulates media, only when it suits, its likes and dislikes.

“What happened in UP was illustrative of Twitter’s arbitrariness in fighting fake news. While Twitter has been over enthusiastic about its fact checking mechanism, its failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing & indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation.”

There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, 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.

— Ravi Shankar Prasad (@rsprasad) June 16, 2021

However, Twitter said it is already taking steps to comply with the new rules.

“An interim chief compliance officer has been retained and details will be shared with the ministry directly. Twitter continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines,” the platform said in a statement.

Amid the controversy over the platform, there were also reports that the police have filed a case against Twitter and some journalists over the recent incident in Uttar Pradesh.

A video shared on Twitter is said to have “falsely insinuated” that a Muslim man was beaten up by Hindu men.

While some persons who shared the video have deleted their posts, Twitter has not commented on the incident.