Twitter given ‘last notice’ to follow IT rules by Centre
NEW DELHI: Twitter will have to face “unintended consequences” including losing the legal protection from criminal liability that it currently enjoys if it does not comply with the new rules for digital content, according to a “last notice” issued as a “gesture of goodwill” by the central government to the social media firm.
The warning from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) escalates an already worsening standoff between the government and the social media company, which has previously urged the Centre to give it more time to comply with the new IT rules and raised concerns over the “core elements” of the IT norms.
Twitter’s “lack of commitment towards providing a safe experience to the people of India” and the refusal to comply with the new norms that came into effect on May 25 will lead to “unintended consequences” that include “losing exemption from liability” as a social media intermediary under Section 79 of the IT Act, 2000, Meity said in the letter. The notice did not specify a deadline for compliance, but said it should be done “immediately”.
It was issued on a day that another controversy erupted over the removal of verified badges, better known as the “blue ticks”, of vice-president Venkaiah Naidu and several Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders. Twitter said the verified status for Naidu was
removed as the account was lying dormant for months, and that it was restored soon after. Badges for RSS leaders were also restored.
Section 79 of the Information
Technology Act, 2000, grants social media companies protection from criminal action for third-party content posted on the websites.
The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, were notified in February and enforced fully on May 25. These guidelines require digital companies such as Twitter, Whatsapp and Facebook to regulate content, appoint nodal officers for compliance and grievance redressal, and adopt features such as traceability of messages and voluntary user verification.
Under criticism over the past few months, the government has maintained that the new IT rules make companies more accountable for the online content posted on their websites and protects users from abuse. The companies, several experts and opposition parties believe that the norms may have a bearing on the right to free speech and privacy.