The Indian government has expressed strong objection to Twitter for classifying certain tweets by Indian politicians as “manipulated media,” according to a notice leaked to journalists Friday.
The incident comes hours after Twitter labeled a tweet from Sambit Patra, the spokesperson of India’s ruling party BJP, as “manipulated media.” In the tweet, Patra had claimed that Congress, the leading opposition party in India, was using a so-called “toolkit” to derail the Indian government’s efforts against the coronavirus pandemic.
The notice didn’t mention any politician by name nor did it identify any tweets.
In the notice, the Indian government said Twitter chose to designate tweets as “manipulated” even as an investigation hadn’t been conducted and “asked” Twitter to remove such tags in the interest of “fairness and equity.”
Twitter’s action, the Indian government said, dilutes its credibility as a “neutral and unbiased” platform as well as puts a “question mark on the status of Twitter as an ‘Intermediary.’ Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media firm with over 5 million users are identified as an “intermediary” in India, according to a recently unveiled law.
A spokesperson of Twitter, which has labeled several politicians’ tweets over the years to provide more context or correction — citing news media and independent fact checkers — in many markets, told TechCrunch the company had no comment.
The new notice underscores the dilemma Twitter faces in India, the world’s second largest internet market, where it has amassed over 100 million users and has also backed local startups.
The Jack Dorsey-led company has already faced several tough situations in India this year. After briefly complying with a New Delhi order early this year, the company faced heat for restoring accounts that had posted tweets critical of the Indian government or the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This is a developing story. More to follow…
source: TechCrunch
