Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May. He said, Twitter was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same. However, it has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance. Mr Prasad wondered, when Indian companies that go to do business in foreign countries voluntarily follow the local laws, then why are platforms like Twitter showing reluctance in following Indian laws designed to give voice to the victims of abuse and misuse. The Minister said, the rule of law is the bedrock of Indian society and India’s commitment to the Constitutional guarantee of Freedom of Speech was yet again reaffirmed at the G7 summit.
Mr Prasad said, if any foreign entity believes that they can portray itself as the flag bearer of free speech in India to excuse itself from complying with the law of the land, such attempts are misplaced. Citing one example, Mr Prasad said what happened in UP was illustrative of Twitter’s arbitrariness in fighting fake news. He said, while Twitter has been over-enthusiastic about its fact checking mechanism, it’s failure to act in multiple cases like UP is perplexing and indicates its inconsistency in fighting misinformation.
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