Check hate messages or face legal action, govt warns Twitter

MHA asks Twitter to appoint India-based contact persons

TWITTER-RESULTS/ MHA asked Twitter to ensure a round the clock mechanism for prompt disposal of requisitions of law enforcement agencies for deletion or removal of unlawful and objectionable content.

The Union home ministry is not only watching Twitter activities but has also initiated action against “objectionable” content by opening a direct channel with the social networking site to block such content. If this is not enough, the government has warned the social media giant of legal action if the requests of law enforcement agencies go unheeded. 

In a first, Twitter has also been advised to appoint India-based contact persons who would be available round the clock, and put in place an escalation mechanism to deal with requisitions of law enforcement agencies and general public for prompt removal of unlawful and objectionable content.

These requests are related to blocking content which is likely to disrupt public peace or order and incite criminal offences including communal violence, where the response of Twitter was found “slow” and, in some cases, non-compliant.

Twitter representatives, Vijaya Gadde, Twitter's legal, policy and trust and safety lead, and Mahima Kaul, head, public policy, Twitter India, met Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba on Monday.

Gauba asked the Twitter representatives to ensure a round the clock mechanism for prompt disposal of requisitions of law enforcement agencies for deletion or removal of unlawful and objectionable content from their platform. 

The home ministry officials said that in the recent past, some cases of uploading and posting of objectionable content which are likely to disturb public order and incite communal discord were brought to the notice of the ministry. “Action was taken for removal of such contents from public access, on intervention of the MHA and Delhi police,” the officials said .

Subsequently, a series of meetings have been held with all social media platforms including Facebook, You Tube, WhatsApp and Twitter to sensitise them about the preventive and other actions to remove unlawful content immediately. 

At Monday’s meeting, the home ministry pointed out that the action taken by Twitter for removing or blocking of objectionable and unlawful content has been slow in some cases and compliance for removal of unlawful content has been only about 60 percent even where orders have been issued by the competent authority after following due process of law.

“It was impressed upon Twitter representatives that they should improve their system of response to investigations related legal requests of Law Enforcement Agencies under provisions of Criminal Penal Code and other laws,” MHA officials said .

Twitter was also advised that the law provides for strict legal provisions in case of non-compliance which would need to be invoked, officials said.

During the meeting, specific instances of legal requisitions were shown where Delhi police had sought removal of content openly inciting violence. Further specific legal notices issued by the Delhi police seeking investigation related information were also shared with them. However , in these cases the response by Twitter had been neither full nor timely.  

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