Twitter given various opportunities to comply with IT Rules, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

Photo Credits: AFP

Union information and technology minister Ravishankar Prasad on Wednesday claimed that Twitter losing the legal protection in India is justified, iterating that Twitter has not adhered to the guidelines though the social media giant was given several opportunities.

Prasad posted on Koo, lauded by several Indian Twitter users, saying, “There are numerous queries arising as to whether Twitter is entitled to safe harbour provision. However, the simple fact of the matter is that Twitter has failed to comply with the Intermediary Guidelines that came into effect from the 26th of May. Further, it was given multiple opportunities to comply with the same, however it has deliberately chosen the path of non-compliance.”

The minister justified the action saying that in a country like India, with a wide reach of social media platforms, “even a small spark can cause fire”, further adding that this became one of the key reasons for the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules to be revealed. He also said, “It is astounding that Twitter, which portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines.”

Alongside, Prasad also posted the same statements on his Twitter account.

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