India Orders Twitter & Facebook to Remove Criticism of COVID-19 Response

Social Media Censorship in India During Covid-19 Surge

Approximately 100 posts on Twitter and Facebook have been removed in India following an emergency directive from the government. This action occurred as the South Asian nation confronts an unprecedented escalation in Covid-19 cases.

Government Order and Platform Compliance

An urgent order was issued by New Delhi to both Twitter and Facebook, mandating the censorship of over 100 posts within the country. Twitter publicly disclosed this government request via the Lumen database, a project affiliated with Harvard University. Both the microblogging platform and Facebook subsequently complied, withholding the specified content from Indian users.

Reports indicate that Twitter wasn't the sole platform impacted by this directive. Facebook, which considers India its largest user base, did not provide an immediate response to inquiries on Saturday regarding the matter.

Justification for Content Removal

The Indian government confirmed on Sunday that it had instructed Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to remove posts it believed could potentially incite public panic. The government also cited concerns that the posts might obstruct pandemic containment efforts or disseminate misleading information.

Transparency and Disclosure

Twitter distinguishes itself by proactively disclosing takedown actions and identifying the source of those requests. This commitment to transparency is noteworthy.

Context of Rising Cases and Prior Actions

This action follows a pattern of previous instances where India has ordered Twitter to block critical tweets and accounts. Non-compliance has even been threatened with potential jail time for employees. The current situation unfolds as the country reports over 330,000 new Covid-19 cases daily – a global record.

Multiple sources, including news outlets, medical professionals, and academics, suggest that even these alarmingly high figures may be underreported.

Twitter as a Resource Amidst Crisis

As the nation’s healthcare infrastructure faces collapse, Twitter has emerged as a vital resource. It’s described as a “priority market” where individuals are leveraging the platform to crowdsource information regarding medicine availability, hospital beds, and oxygen supplies.

Affected Individuals

According to Medianama, an Indian news outlet focused on policy, several prominent figures had their tweets censored. These include Revanth Reddy, a Member of Parliament; Moloy Ghatak, a minister in West Bengal; Vineet Kumar Singh, an actor; and filmmakers Vinod Kapri and Avinash Das.

Twitter’s Response and Legal Process

A Twitter spokesperson explained to TechCrunch that upon receiving a valid legal request, the content is reviewed against both Twitter’s Rules and local legislation. Content violating Twitter’s Rules is removed.

If content is deemed illegal within a specific jurisdiction but doesn’t breach Twitter’s Rules, access is withheld within India only. Account holders are directly notified of any legal orders pertaining to their accounts.

Users are typically informed via email, if available. Further details regarding legal requests can be found in Twitter’s biannual Transparency Report and on the Lumen database.

India as a Key Market and Evolving Regulations

India represents a significant market for numerous global technology companies seeking user growth and long-term investment. However, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India has implemented several regulations in recent years.

These rules, while potentially beneficial to the nation, may present challenges for American firms aiming to expand within the South Asian market without compromising user values established in their home countries.

The article was updated to include details from the Indian government’s official statement.