Concerned about potential threat to freedom of expression, says Twitter

‘Plan to advocate for changes to elements of regulations that inhibit free, open conversation’

This is the first time Twitter has broken its silence amid its row with the Centre over the alleged ‘Congress toolkit’.: File picture

TT Bureau, Agencies   |   New Delhi   |  27.05.21: Twitter on Thursday said it was concerned about “the potential threat to freedom of expression” for its users and “the use of intimidation tactics by the police” to its employees in India during “recent events”.

In a strongly-worded statement, the microblogging platform said it will “strive to comply with applicable law” and wanted to “advocate for changes to elements of IT rules that inhibit free, open and public conversation”.

“Twitter is deeply committed to the people of India. Our service has proven vital for public conversation and a source of support for people during the pandemic. 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,” ndtv.com quoted a Twitter spokesperson as saying.

“Right now, we are concerned by recent events regarding our employees in India and the potential threat to freedom of expression for the people we serve. 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. 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,” the statement added.

This is the first time Twitter has broken its silence amid its row with the Centre over the alleged ‘Congress toolkit’.

The Delhi Police's Special Cell on Monday sent a notice to Twitter India in connection with the probe into a complaint about the alleged 'Covid toolkit', asking it to share information based on which it had classified a related tweet by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra as "manipulated media".

Two police teams also descended on the microblogging site's offices in Lado Sarai in Delhi and in Gurugram on Monday evening.

The new rules require large social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to follow additional due diligence, including the appointment of chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer.

Non-compliance with rules would result in these social media companies losing their intermediary status that provides them exemptions and certain immunity from liabilities for any third-party information and data hosted by them. In other words, they could be liable for criminal action in case of complaints.

The new rules require them to take down any content flagged by the authorities within 36 hours, and set up a robust mechanism to respond to complaints.

The new IT rules also require significant social media intermediaries -- providing services primarily in the nature of messaging -- to enable identification of the "first originator" of information that undermines sovereignty of India, security of the state, or public order.

Centre dismisses allegations

The government, later in the day, condemned the statement issued by Twitter as baseless, false and an attempt to defame India.

The IT ministry asserted that representatives of social media companies, including Twitter, "are and will always remain safe in India", and that there is "no threat to their personal safety and security".

The ministry slammed Twitter's statement on Thursday as an attempt to dictate terms to the world's largest democracy.

Through its actions and deliberate defiance, Twitter seeks to undermine India's legal system, the ministry added.

"Government condemns the unfortunate statement issued by Twitter as totally baseless, false and an attempt to defame India to hide their own follies," the IT ministry said.