Twitter faces action for inciting communal trouble as it loses legal shield

New Delhi: As Twitter lost its status as an intermediary platform, which gave the social media giant a legal shield against prosecution for the user's posts, the first case holding Twitter responsible for third party content was filed last night in Uttar Pradesh's Ghaziabad.

Twitter has been accused in a First Information Report (FIR) of not removing "misleading" content linked to the incident in connection with an alleged assault on an elderly Muslim man on June 5.

Citing government sources, an NDTV report said that Twitter has lost its legal protection in India from prosecution over users' posts because of its failure to comply with new rules requiring it to appoint key officers based in the country. According to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, Twitter has not yet complied with all the provisions of the rules that came into force on May 25.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the social media giant appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer to comply with the new IT rules. The move comes as Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has asked Twitter to appear before it on June 18 and put its views on the prevention of misuse of its platform.

Last week the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had sent its final notice to Twitter over its compliance with the new IT norms. The notice sent by the ministry noted that in view of Twitter Inc's non-compliance with the rules, which came into effect on May 26, 2021, "consequences follow".

Earlier, Twitter had said that as per the new guidelines, it has appointed a Nodal Contact Person and a Resident Grievance Office on a contract basis, and the company is making recruitments to fill the positions on a permanent basis.

In an earlier reply to the IT Ministry, Twitter had said that it was in the advanced stage of finalising the appointment to the role of Chief Compliance Officer.

On June 18, a meeting will be held in the Parliament complex where the safeguarding of citizens' rights will be discussed in the presence of representatives from Twitter, officials of the Ministry of Information and Technology and the committee members that include 31 parliamentarians.

The schedule of the meeting mentions that "there is special emphasis on women security in digital space"

In the meeting, the parliamentary committee will hear the views of representatives of Twitter followed by evidence of representatives of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on the subject 'Safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social or online news media platforms.

The agenda papers for the sitting will be uploaded at the Members' e-portal and also e-mailed at Sansad.nic mail of the members. Members are requested to attend the sitting as the issue is very sensitive in the backdrop of misuse of social networking sites.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor is the chairperson of the Information Technology Committee, which comprises 31 members including 21 from Lok Sabha and 10 from Rajya Sabha.

Taking cognisance of misuse of social networking sites, the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Monday sought a report from Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram regarding posts on these social networking sites offering illegal adoption of children orphaned amid ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The apex child rights body has also directed these four social media entities to submit their report within 10 days, and also warned them to take strict action against them if they fail to report such posts.

In a letter written to these social networking sites, the NCPCR suggested if any person posts any such content, an immediate report should be sent to the commission or law enforcement authorities or state commission with the detailed IP address of the user.