Modi’s government insists that the new regulations are reasonable and will help protect national security, maintain public order and reduce crime by making it easier to identify the sources of viral misinformation. The tech companies say the rules are inconsistent with democratic principles.
Twitter’s decision to label the tweet from a spokesperson for the Bharatiya Janata Party earned it a visit from the Delhi police. The police said the visit was a “part of a routine process” to get Twitter to cooperate with its investigation. The social media giant called it “intimidation tactics.”
“We, alongside many in civil society in India and around the world, have concerns with regards to the use of intimidation tactics by the police in response to enforcement of our global terms of service, as well as with core elements of the new IT Rules,” the company said in a statement Thursday.
“We plan to advocate for changes to elements of these regulations that inhibit free, open public conversation,” it added.
Mass surveillance or national security
The new rules, which were issued in February, include demands that companies create special compliance officers in India. There are also requirements that services remove some content, including posts that feature “full or partial nudity.”
Additionally, tech platforms would have to trace the “first originator” of messages if asked by authorities — a requirement that compelled WhatsApp to file its legal complaint against the government. The company said this demand would break the platform’s “end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people’s right to privacy.”
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology called WhatsApp’s lawsuit an “unfortunate attempt” to prevent the new rules from coming into effect at the last minute. The ministry said it respects the right of privacy and would only ask the platform to reveal private data if required for the investigation or prevention of “very serious offenses” related to the sovereignty, security and integrity of India, public order, rape, child sex abuse or sexually explicit material.
It also said that the Indian government was committed to securing the right of privacy for all citizens as well as the means to maintain national security.
“It is WhatsApp’s responsibility to find a technical solution, whether through encryption or otherwise, that both happen,” it added.
But privacy isn’t the only concern that social media companies have. They are required to appoint a chief compliance officer, who may be held liable in any proceedings if flagged content is not removed. WhatsApp and Twitter have told CNN Business that they find this requirement problematic.
Censorship fears
Twitter said Thursday that it was concerned about “the potential threat to freedom of expression” in the country.
But with hundreds of millions of internet users, and more getting online every day, India is too big a market for any tech company to ignore. While WhatsApp has taken the unusual step of suing the authorities, Google and Twitter have signaled their willingness to engage with the government on most of the requirements in the new rules.
“We will continue our constructive dialogue with the Indian government and believe it is critical to adopt a collaborative approach,” Twitter added in its statement Thursday.
Source : Nbcnewyork