India Police Visit Twitter Offices Over 'Manipulated Media' Tag

Delhi Police Visits Twitter Offices Over “Manipulated Media” Label

On Monday evening, Delhi police, under the authority of the Indian central government, conducted visits to two Twitter offices. These locations were in Delhi, the national capital, and Gurgaon, a city in the neighboring state of Haryana.

The purpose of these visits was to gather further details regarding Twitter’s decision to designate a tweet originating from a spokesperson of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as “manipulated media.”

Search Attempts and Limited Access

After approximately one hour, the Delhi Police Special Cell team, responsible for investigating terrorism and other serious crimes, left Twitter’s offices. This was due to the offices being closed and a lack of available Twitter personnel for engagement, as reported by numerous local news broadcasts.

A representative for Twitter declined to provide any commentary on the situation.

India’s Significance to Twitter

India represents a crucial international market for Twitter, as well as many other American technology companies, being the second-largest internet market globally.

The Notice from New Delhi

Last week, New Delhi issued a notice to Twitter following the social media platform’s labeling of a tweet by Sambit Patra, the BJP’s spokesperson, as “manipulated media.”

Patra’s tweet alleged that the Indian National Congress, the primary opposition party, was utilizing a purported “toolkit” to obstruct the Indian government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Alt News, a prominent Indian fact-checking organization, had previously refuted Patra’s claims.

Police Investigation and Ambiguous Responses

Delhi police stated that they had received a complaint concerning the classification of Patra’s tweet and initiated an investigation. The office visits were intended to deliver a notice of inquiry to Twitter India’s head.

According to a police statement, the responses provided by Twitter India’s managing director regarding the matter were deemed “very ambiguous.”

Seeking Clarification from Twitter

“Delhi Police is investigating a complaint seeking clarification from Twitter regarding the designation of a tweet by Shri Sambit Patra (BJP spokesman) as ‘manipulative’,” the police explained in an earlier statement to news outlets.

“It appears Twitter possesses information unknown to us, which led to this classification. This information is pertinent to the inquiry. The Special Cell, conducting the investigation, aims to ascertain the truth, and Twitter, claiming knowledge of the underlying facts, should provide clarification,” the statement continued.

In a subsequent statement, the police refuted descriptions of the event as a “raid.”

Concerns and New Regulations

Several policy experts expressed questions regarding the motives behind Delhi Police’s actions.

This development coincides with Twitter and Facebook approaching the deadline for compliance with India’s new guidelines for regulating social media platforms.

New Delhi has warned both companies that non-compliance with the IT rules could result in the loss of intermediary status and associated protections.

Ongoing Tensions with the Indian Government

This situation represents the latest challenge for Twitter in its ongoing efforts to maintain a positive relationship with the Indian government.

Earlier this year, the company briefly complied with a New Delhi order but subsequently faced criticism for reinstating accounts that had published content critical of the Indian government’s policies or Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Further disagreements arose last month when New Delhi requested Twitter and Facebook to remove posts that were critical of the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

This article has been updated to include additional information.