India on Thursday warned Twitter and others of strict action for failure to crackdown on content inciting disharmony and posing threat to national security. These platforms were also told to adhere to the Constitution and laws of the land.
Making this clear in the Rajya Sabha, Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, however, said the social media, including Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp besides others, were free to criticise the Government.
However, fake news and content fanning trouble will not be tolerated and the Government will take strict action, he said. This came a day after his Ministry rebuked Twitter for not complying with its orders to take down inflammatory contents.
Enunciating the Government’s stand on the issue, Prasad said social media platforms cannot give differential treatment while handling problems on Capitol Hill and the Red Fort.
The Government, he said, was committed to freedom of media and rights of individuals, but it was equally concerned about safety, security, and law and order in the country.
“Please don’t spread enmity, violence and misinformation. Please follow the Constitution of India and the law of the land (otherwise we will be very strict),” he said.
On Wednesday, his Ministry had expressed displeasure at Twitter for failing to remove all of the over 1,100 accounts and posts it alleged spread misinformation about the widespread protests by farmers against new agricultural laws.
Prasad said the social media companies took immediate action when riots broke out at Capitol Hill in Washington but ignored similar action when farm bill protesters ran riot at Red Fort on Republic Day.
This double standard would not work here, he said, flagging inflammatory content, especially those with the hashtag of Modi planning farmers’ genocide. “Yeh kya mazak hai? (What kind of a joke is this?),” the Minister said.
The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech but Article 19 (2) also says it is subject to reasonable restrictions because of the “sovereignty and integrity” of India.
Prasad said while social media platforms have their own self-regulatory mechanism to check and evaluate inflammatory content that does not mean they will not follow the Indian rules.
“This will not work here,” he said. Asked about steps taken by the Government to check the spread of misinformation on social media, he said, “We have recently flagged Twitter” on the issue. His Ministry officials are in talks with Twitter on the issue.
On Wednesday, the Government told Twitter’s representatives that the microblogging site has to follow its orders and that it was not a subject matter of negotiation.
The Government was riled after Twitter in a public blog post said it has taken down only half of the accounts and posts flagged by the Government.
“In keeping with our principles of defending protected speech and freedom of expression, we have not taken any action on accounts that consist of news media entities, journalists, activists, and politicians,” it had said.
Prasad, however, took exception to selectively applying rules. “Microblogging companies stand by police when they take action after Capitol Hill of Washington is ransacked. But when there is an attack on Red Fort, which is a sign of our dignity, they oppose (action),” the Minister said.
He qualified his statement by saying the Government respects their good work and the foreign investment they bring into the country. “We respect your good work. You do business, bring FDI and money but you have to respect the laws and regulations of the country,” the Minister said.
On the protection of privacy of the individuals of the country on social media, he said the Government is working on new guidelines. Gaps will be addressed when new guidelines will come, he said. “Work is in progress.”
The Minister said he wants to convey to media platforms that freedom is important but they cannot abuse it by showing unbidden revenge sex videos, porn, street violence and videos that ignite passions and fuel violence. The social media platforms need to access unbidden exposure to such content against their own internal guidelines, he said.