Twitter India Mess. Let’s know how it got there

Twitter

Twitter India is experiencing an extremely difficult year. However, even those who wish to be on its side are baffled by the company’s response. The Indian government has introduced new information technology rules in February that have caused tension between Silicon Valley’s largest tech companies. These rules aim to regulate online content and require companies hire people who can quickly respond to legal requests to remove posts. Executives could be subject to possible criminal liability if the flagged content is not removed. These rules may theoretically address serious concerns regarding Big Tech’s entry to India and other countries. Social networks from America have expanded into other countries in an attempt to tap new markets. However, they seem to have little concern about the effects of their platforms on local people and have little infrastructure or expertise to address them. This can have huge consequences as Facebook’s presence was in Myanmar. But it can also have smaller ones. For instance, authorities in India might have to wait until Californians — who are 12 hours behind — can resolve an urgent problem with material from Twitter.

  • However, activists and tech companies fear that the new rules give Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government too many discretionary powers and that they could allow the government to target or censor political opponents. Twitter is the government’s favourite punching bag in all of this.

    It has had difficulty filling key government positions that other companies have been able to fill. It was also by tech experts that Twitter’s inability to either adhere to the rules or take a stand against them is a puzzlement.

    Raman Jit Singh Chima (Asia policy director) stated that India has seen a rise in digital authoritarianism this year. He said that Twitter did not realize the extent of its target until it was too late.

    He said that if they had, they could have made their difficulties more visible.
  • Chima stated that Twitter’s public response to authorities, tech advocacy groups, and the media has been “intermittent”, making it difficult for potential allies and the government to defend the company. The tech giant is now in unfamiliar waters in one its biggest markets. Twitter is now legally liable for any content its users publish on its platform in India. It has lost immunity to third-party content. A few police investigations have been launched in India against the company, one of which is related to the treatment of tweets by a prominent member of the ruling party.
  • It all started in one way or another Since the beginning of the year, Twitter has been fighting the Indian government. It clashed with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology about accounts it wanted to take down in protests by farmers. Twitter refused to act against journalists, activists and politicians but did comply with some requests. India’s new IT rules were introduced weeks after the feud. They require social media companies create three roles within the country. A “compliance officer”, who will ensure that their company follows local laws, a Grievance Officer, who will handle complaints from Indian users regarding its platforms, and a Contact Person, who is available 24/7 to Indian law enforcement. All three must reside in India. Authorities may also ask companies to identify the “first originator of messages”. Google informed that the three officers were appointed on Friday. Although Facebook didn’t respond to a request for comment on Friday, media reports indicate that the company has at least partially complied with the new rules. Facebook has, however, reacted to at least one crucial issue. In May, the Indian government was sued by its WhatsApp messaging service over the rules. It claimed that complying to the message tracing rule would violate its policy of offering end-to-end encryption to users.
  • Twitter for India has not yet filed a legal challenge or complied with the rules. It has also given mixed signals in its statements regarding the matter. In May, Twitter expressed concern about the “core elements” of the new IT Rules and the “potential danger to freedom of expression” in the country. It then pledged to comply with the new requirements a few days later. In June statement, the company stated that it had assured the Government of India making every effort to adhere to the new guidelines. A summary of our progress has also been shared. “We will continue to have constructive discussions with the Indian government. “The company has now clearly outlined its compliance timeline and went even further this week. A Twitter user found defamatory posts and tried to find an Indian grievance officer. He took it to court. The platform stated that it will “encourage in good faith to offer employment to a qualified applicant” within eight weeks for each of the three roles.
  • Avoiding legal action
  • Twitter, however, stated in the same court filing on Thursday that it retains the right to contest the “legality and validity” of the new tech rules. Choudhary stated that a comprehensive strategy would have placed Twitter in a reasonable position by addressing legitimate government demands and negotiating or challenging problematic provisions of new IT rules. “This non-transparent, haphazard positioning [by Twitter] only leads speculation and no clarity for users or observers.”
  • Twitter India users – However, company representatives have been openly discussing the matter in recent weeks. Vijaya Gadde, the company’s head for legal, policy and trust, called litigation a “blunt instrument”. When you are going to be in court, it is a delicate balance. It’s impossible to predict what will happen.
  • There are not enough people on the ground. According to Chima, Twitter’s problems could be explained by its lack of business partnerships and low political capital. He stated that while Twitter has a huge influence in Indian media and political circles, team is smaller with less experience. The Indian team was not disclosed by the company. Twitter’s public fight with India’s technology ministry over tweets in the last few months has caused a stir. Twitter refused to remove some accounts or tweets and also locked India’s ex-tech minister from his account last month.