On Wednesday, Twitter notified the government that it is making every effort to comply with new digital rules and that it will update within a week. “Twitter has been and remains deeply dedicated to India, and serving essential public discussion taking place on the service,” the social media site said in a statement. We’ve guaranteed the Indian government that Twitter would follow the new standards to the letter.”
A summary of our progress has been provided (with the Government of India). It was also said that “we would continue our constructive conversation with the Indian government.”
The company said it has hired a Nodal Contact Person (NCP) and a Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) on a contractual basis and is “in the advanced stages of finalizing” a Chief Compliance Officer.
“We understand the importance of these regulations and have endeavored in good faith to comply with the guidelines, including with respect to hiring personnel in India. The guidelines were notified on February 25 and the global impact of the pandemic has made it more difficult for us as a practical matter to make certain arrangements necessary to comply with the Guidelines within the stipulated time-frame,” the statement said.
“We plan to provide additional details to you in the next several days, and at the latest within a week,” it further said.
Twitter’s reaction comes after the government delivered a harsh final warning to the business last week on its non-compliance with the new laws.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had stated in its notice that Twitter’s unwillingness to follow the regulations proved the microblogging site’s lack of commitment and attempts to provide a secure experience for Indians on its platform.
“Despite being operational in India for more than a decade, it is beyond belief that Twitter Inc has doggedly refused to create mechanism that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources,” the ministry had said.
The new IT guidelines for social media businesses, which went into effect last month, require huge platforms like Facebook and Twitter to conduct more due diligence and to be more accountable and liable for the information they host.
The guidelines also compel major social media intermediaries — those who provide services largely in the form of message — to identify the “primary originator” of material that threatens India’s sovereignty, national security, or public order.
Furthermore, social media corporations will be required to delete reported information within 36 hours and content marked for concerns such as nudity and pornography within 24 hours.
According to the ministry’s notice, “consequences follow” due to Twitter’s non-compliance with the rules, and “as a gesture of goodwill, Twitter Inc is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the rules, failing which the exemption from liability available” shall be withdrawn, and Twitter shall be liable for consequences under the IT Act and other penal laws.
