The government said Twitter may face penal action for not complying with legal orders to remove tweets and content about to a farmer protest-related hashtag that contained the word 'genocide'.
In a communication to the microblogging platform on Tuesday evening, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said Twitter "unilaterally" unblocked tweets and accounts that were using #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide beginning Saturday.
According to sources, the MeitY notice on Tuesday told Twitter in a written communication, "The direction to block the hashtag “#ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide” has been found to be instigating people to commit cognizable offences in relation to public order and security of the State. It may be noted that the impracticability or disproportionality of the said measure cannot be decided at the instance of Twitter, which is an intermediary bound by the orders of the Central Government."
Twitter did not respond to a request for comment on receiving the communication from the government.
MeitY had asked for removal of this content under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, and for blocking many accounts such as those of the magazine, The Caravan, Indian actor Sushant Singh and farmer organisation Kisan Ekta Morcha.
Twitter had withheld these accounts on Monday but restored them within a few hours. It was learnt that Twitter contended that the tweets did not violate Twitter's Terms of Service and constituted free speech and were newsworthy.
MeitY in its communication to Twitter Tuesday mentioned that Section 69A(3)provides for specific penal consequences in case of non-compliance of the directions issued under section 69A of the Act.
Section 69A of the IT Act gives the government the power to ask for the takedown of content by an intermediary (such as Twitter, Facebook, Google etc).
Section 69A(3) says an intermediary failing to comply with a government order for takedown of content may face imprisonment of up to seven years and would also be liable to a fine.
The said hashtag relates to an ongoing farmer protest at the borders of Delhi against recent farm laws, demanding a complete repeal.
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU