India and Twitter lock horns over rules

NEW DELHI: India’s battle with Twitter escalated yesterday with the government accusing the US firm of deliberately ignoring new IT rules, as reports suggested it can now be prosecuted for users’ tweets.

Currently social media companies operating in India are classed as intermediaries, shielding them from criminal liability for anything posted on their platforms. But the companies face losing this protection if they fail to comply with new “Intermediary Guidelines” that came into force in India on May 26.

These rules, which critics say could be used to silence dissent, demand that the firms give details of the “first originator” of posts deemed to undermine India’s sovereignty, state security or public order. The tech companies also have to appoint a chief compliance officer.