The Indian authorities are not easing the pressure on Twitter, which they blame for not complying with the country’s regulations. According to several Indian media, including NDTV and the Ani agency, in the future the social network could be held criminally responsible for the content published by its users, and prosecuted.
The standoff between the American social network and the authorities in New Delhi has intensified in recent weeks and certain political ulterior motives could well explain it. More than the issue of regulatory compliance.
A first complaint filed on Tuesday
Officially, and at the heart of these tensions, there is a regulation which notably requires social media platforms to appoint “three special executives” (including a compliance officer and one in charge of litigation). These appointments were to be made before May 25. While WhatsApp and Facebook have complied with these demands, Twitter has dragged its feet and asked, initially, for a three-month delay.
Too long for New Delhi which raised the tone this week, even if Tuesday, Twitter claims to have made these acting appointments and to have informed the Ministry of Information and Technology. Obviously that was not enough.
“Due to their non-compliance, their protection as an intermediary has disappeared. Twitter is responsible for actions against any Indian law, just like any publisher, ”the NDTV television channel explained on Wednesday, citing an unidentified source from the Indian Ministry of Technology. Concretely, the Indian authorities would reproach the social network for the fact that the persons in charge appointed are only acting and above all are not located in India, as required by the regulations.
And probably just to show that these are not empty threats, a first complaint was filed Tuesday in Uttar Pradesh. Twitter was criticized for not having removed “deceptive and manipulated content” linked to the assault on a Muslim.
Twitter is not docile enough in New Delhi’s eyes
On closer inspection, the repeated attacks and criticisms by the authorities seem above all to be linked to political considerations. Because from New Delhi’s point of view, Twitter is not docile enough.
Accused of letting Internet users disseminate what the Indian authorities have qualified as “rumors, false information and defamatory messages” against Prime Minister Narandra Modi, Twitter is also criticized by the Ministry of Information Technology for not to have removed the videos of recent farmers’ demonstrations, or even to have withdrawn, for some time, the certification authenticating the account of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu.
Third market behind the United States and Japan
Differences which are far from settling Twitter which does not hide that the Asian giant is an important market in its development strategy, since it accounts for nearly 9% of the total number of its active users which is estimated at nearly 200 millions.
In fact, with more than 17.5 million active users currently, India is the third market for the social network which has been established in the country since 2018. It is behind the United States (69.3 million) and Japan (50.9 million), but ahead of the United Kingdom (16.4 million) and Brazil (16.2 million).
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