Social Media giants and the Government of India have been in a tough fight since the new IT rules came into effect. Twitter had asked for more time regarding this but failed to meet the deadlines. Following which it has lost legal protection and will no longer be provided immunity over content posted by 3rd party.
However, Twitter officials said the company has appointed key personnel as mentioned in the rules and will shortly share the details.
Twitter Faces FIR After Losing The Legal Cover
On the other hand, the Ghaziabad incident of allegedly assaulting a Muslim elderly man led to FIR against Twitter.
Post #FakeNews on @Twitter , get @jack Company to make it go viral, ensure @WhatsApp amplifies it further. #Toolkit #tabeez to spread hate and create fear.
Law of #India cannot allow this perversion. @Uppolice files FIR against offenders. As ‘publisher’, @TwitterIndia is liable. pic.twitter.com/6fc8811cPp— Kanchan Gupta (@KanchanGupta) June 16, 2021
Abdul Samad, a 72-year old man from Ghaziabad, was brutally assaulted by few men earlier this month. A video whereby few men seen chopping off his beard and beating him had gone viral on social media.
Also Read: Indian Government To Take Criminal Action Against Facebook And Twitter
This has increased the troubles of the company as the incident became a ground for spreading hatred against religious communities. Following which an FIR against the company along with two congress leaders and journalists have been filed.
Now, Twitter no longer enjoys protection under IT Act and the company will be responsible for the content shared on the platform. In short, the company is now a liable publisher of the content on Twitter whether it is objectionable or not.
On the other hand, popular social media platforms such as Google, Facebook, and WhatsApp have appointed compliance officers.