Social media platform Twitter said on Thursday it will strive to comply with the applicable law in India referring to India’s new social media intermediary guidelines that came into effect on Wednesday.
However, the firm noted it will continue to be ‘guided’ by principles of transparency and protecting freedom of expression and privacy as it does around the world.
“Twitter is deeply committed to the people of India. Our service has proven vital for the public conversation and a source of support for people during the pandemic,” a Twitter spokesperson said and added: “To keep our service available, we will strive to comply with applicable law in India. But, just as we do around the world, we will continue to be strictly guided by principles of transparency, a commitment to empowering every voice on the service, and protecting freedom of expression and privacy under the rule of law.”
Twitter also noted that it is ‘concerned’ by recent events regarding its employees in India and the potential threat to freedom of expression for the people it serves.
“We, alongside many in civil society in India and around the world, have concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police in response to enforcement of our global terms of Service, as well as with core elements of the new IT Rules,” the company spokesperson said and added: “We plan to advocate for changes to elements of these regulations that inhibit free, open public conversation. We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian government and believe it is critical to adopt a collaborative approach. It is the collective responsibility of elected officials, industry, and civil society to safeguard the interests of the public.”
“Significant” social media platforms with subscribers of 5 million or more had to comply with the new guidelines under India’s Information Technology Act by Wednesday.
Facebook, which also owns the Instagram photo-sharing platform and messaging app WhatsApp, has yet to comply with the requirements alongside Twitter and Google’s YouTube.
According to people familiar with developments at the company, Twitter is particularly concerned about the requirement to make an individual (the compliance officer) criminally liable for content on the platform, the requirements for proactive monitoring, and ‘the blanket authority’ to seek information about its customers. The company thinks this represents a ‘dangerous overreach’ that is inconsistent with open, democratic principles.
Twitter is planning to urge the Ministry of Electronics and IT to publish the standard operating protocols on procedural aspects of compliance for public consultation. It is also seeking a minimum of 3 months extension to implement the rules.
