Twitter adheres to new IT rules, otherwise suffers consequences: Center

(PTI) New Delhi, Dt

The controversy between the central government and social media giant Twitter is raging. The Indian government has issued a final notice to Twitter for compliance with the new IT rules, warning that it will suffer consequences if it fails to comply with the new IT rules. The IT ministry said the refusal to implement the new rules via Twitter shows that the microblocking site lacks a commitment to provide a safe experience for the people of India on its platform.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad with senior IT officials on Friday. The government said Twitter has been given a final notice to comply with the new IT rules. If the new IT laws are not complied with, the exemption granted to Twitter under Section 4 of the IT Act 2000 will be revoked and Twitter will have to be prepared for action under the IT Act and other punitive provisions.

The IT ministry said the rules came into effect on May 7, 2021, but in good faith, Twitter Inc. has been given a chance to comply with the rules through a final notice. He has to follow the rules immediately. If he fails to do so, the exemption granted to him under the law will be withdrawn. The ministry said that despite working in India for more than a decade, it was hard to believe that Twitter Inc. had refused to develop a system that would help the people of India resolve their issues in a timely and transparent manner on its platform. However, the notice did not say how long it would take for Twitter to comply with the rules.

The IT ministry noted in its notice that India, the world's largest democracy, was one of the first countries to happily promote microblogging platforms outside the United States, the parent country of Twitter Inc. Users who have been the victims of slander or defamation or sexual harassment or other malicious content on this platform should find a system to solve their problems, which has been developed by the people of India through the legal process. Indians using Twitter must have a proper and transparent system for resolving their grievances and disputes. The ministry said in its notice that Twitter Inc. was developing a system that was bound by Indian law. It is a shame to be denied by.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology said in its letter that Twitter did not specify when the new IT rules would be implemented. It is clear from his response that Twitter has not yet provided any information about the details of the Chief Compliance Officer under the new rule. Also, as stated in the new law, no information has been given about the nominee nodal contact person and local grievance officer by a company which is not an employee of Twitter Inc. in India. Twitter Inc. The address given for resolving disputes is a law firm in India, which is not in accordance with the law. According to government data, there are 12 million Twitter users in India.

New IT rules for social media

The Centre's new IT rules apply to social media platforms with more than 3 million users.

- Appointment of nodal officer is mandatory for social media platforms.

- It is mandatory to appoint a grievance redressal officer.

- Mandatory appointment of Chief Complaints Officer, who will tell the government every month how many users have complained and how many complaints have been resolved.

- In case of a message that is dangerous to the Government of India, the state or the people, the name of the first person to send the message must be given to the Government.

- Enclosure on a user's complaint in 2 hours, generating a tracking number and resolving the complaint within 15 days.

- Flagged content like nudity, pornography will have to be removed from the platform within 3 hours.