Critics said the new rules would be used to silence critics of the government. Last month, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter were ordered to remove dozens of social media posts criticizing Mr Modi’s government and its response to the coronavirus pandemic that has struck the country. Government officials said the posts should be removed because they could panic and hinder their response to the pandemic.
The social media companies responded to many requests by making the posts invisible within India even though they were still visible to people outside the country. In the past, Twitter and Facebook reposted some content after it was determined that it was not against the law.
Tensions between tech companies and the Indian government escalated this week when police came to Twitter’s New Delhi offices to dispute labels attached to certain tweets from senior government officials. While Twitter’s offices were empty, the visit symbolized mounting pressure on social media companies to curb the speech, viewed as critical of the ruling party.
Facebook and WhatsApp have long had working relationships with authorities in dozens of countries, including India. Typically, WhatsApp has announced it will respond to legitimate requests for information and has a team to assist law enforcement officers in emergencies with immediate harm.
WhatsApp has rarely pushed back. The service was shut down many times in Brazil after the company defied government requests for user data. And there have been skirmishes with US officials who have tried to install “back doors” into encrypted intelligence services to monitor criminal activity.
However, WhatsApp argued that the technology would not work even if an attempt was made to enforce India’s new traceability rules. Such a practice is “ineffective and very prone to abuse,” the company said.
Other tech firms and digital rights groups like Mozilla and the Electronic Frontier Foundation announced this week that they support WhatsApp’s fight against traceability. ”
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