'Everyone will have to follow law of the country': IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Twitter faceoff

NEW DELHI: Ashwini Vaishnaw, the new information and technology minister, on Thursday sent out a loud and clear message to Twitter, which is engaged in a faceoff with the Centre over the new IT rules.
"All those who live and work in India will have to abide by the rules of the country," Vaibhaw said when asked about Twitter's reluctance to adhere to government's new guidelines.
"Everyone will have to follow law of the country," Vaishnaw said during his first visit to the party headquarters after being made Cabinet minister in the Modi government.
Vaishnaw, an MP from Odisha, takes over as IT minister from Ravi Shankar Prasad who was engaged in a bitter spat with Twitter.
Ravi Shankar Prasad was dropped from the Union Cabinet in the reshuffle yesterday.

For the past several months, Twitter has been involved in a stand-off with the Indian government over amendments in the country's new Information Technology laws. Since the micro-blogging platform did not comply with the changes as per the amendments, it has lost its intermediary status and has become liable for user-generated content.
India recently enforced the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules 2021 to regulate the functioning of online media portals and publishers, social media companies like Facebook, Twitter - rendering their services as 'intermediaries' - and as well as over-the-top (OTT platforms).
According to amended IT rules, social media and streaming companies will be required to take down contentious content quicker and appoint grievance redressal officers based in the country to deal with online content flagged by authorities and courts and also assist in investigations.
While the rules came into effect on May 26, Twitter is yet to adhere to the social media guidelines, despite repeated reminders from the government.
(With inputs from agencies)