Twitter report shows rise in govt requests to remove info

Twitter said in 90 per cent of the cases when it provides information, it does not give details related to content, but basic subscriber information that includes the registered email or mobile number.

In the last six months of 2014, Indian officials reported 15 Twitter accounts from which the government wanted some content to be removed. In the first six months of 2017, that number is 341. Government agencies sent 41 requests to Twitter in the second half of 2014 asking for information about Twitter account holders. In the first half of this year the requests swelled to 261.

Indian agencies sent 55 per cent more information requests and 6 per cent more removal requests to Twitter in the January 2017 to June 2017, compared with July 2016 to December 2016. All this has been revealed in Twitter’s 11th transparency report which the social media company publishes bi-annually.

The report has published numbers for account information requests and content removal requests by the governments across the world. Of all nations listed, India had the sixth largest number of requests to remove content, and also the sixth highest requests asking for information about accounts.

For government agencies asking for information about accounts, India made the sixth highest number of requests in the first six months of this year. Twitter said in 90 per cent of the cases when it provides information, it does not give details related to content, but basic subscriber information that includes the registered email or mobile number.