India has asked Twitter Inc to take down 1,178 accounts in the country. It claims they are backed by Pakistan or operated by sympathizers of a separatist Sikh movement.
India’s security agencies said external hands were operating some of the accounts. The order also involved the Twitter accounts of some supporters of the movement for an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan.
Many of these accounts were sharing and allegedly amplifying misinformation and provocative content on the farmers’ protests, the source added.
Tens of thousands of farmers have camped on the outskirts of India’s capital New Delhi for months. They demand the withdrawal of new agriculture laws.
Twitter is yet to comply with the February 4th government order, the sources said.
India’s IT ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Here’s what Twitter has to say!
Twitter did not confirm or deny whether it had complied with the government’s latest order. However, said it reviews content under its rules and local laws when it receives a request about potentially illegal posts.
“If the content violates Twitter’s Rules, it will be removed from the service,” the company said.
“If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction but not in violation of the rules, we may withhold access to the content in the location only.”
The US social media firm said it reviews legal requests which may be seeking to restrict freedom of expression. Twitter added it takes extra care to review requests related to journalists or political speech.
India farmers’ protest
Farmers are protesting in demand of the withdrawal of agriculture laws they say benefit private buyers at their expense. Narendra Modi’s government claims the reforms open up new opportunities for farmers.
Twitter earlier this month refused to comply with an Indian government directive to block more than 250 accounts and posts, a move which has put the social media giant at the centre of a political firestorm in one of its key markets.
Its CEO Jack Dorsey kicked up a storm in India last week after he liked a tweet suggesting the company should consider introducing a farmer protest emoji.
US pop superstar Rihanna recently created a flutter in India by wading into farmer protests against Modi’s agricultural reforms. Soon more international celebs joined her voice. The country hated it.
As she trended on Twitter in India, Kangana Ranaut lashed out at Rihanna and called a porn star.
“No one is talking about it because they are not farmers, they are terrorists who are trying to divide India…” Kangana Ranaut told her 3 million followers on the same platform. You must read about how Ali Gul Pir destroyed the rude Indian actress later.
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