Parliament IT Committee indicates fining Twitter for violating IT rules

New Delhi: The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology on Friday asked explanation from Twitter for not to be fined for violating country's IT rules. The Committee informed the micro-blogging site that law of the land is supreme, not its policy.

Twitter, as a reply before the Committee, blamed the pandemic for delay in adoption of the IT Intermediary rules at which members asked when all the other social media platforms could follow these, why Twitter couldn't.

Claiming that most of Twitter India fact-checkers are openly opposed to the Narendra Modi regime, Committee members in ruling party questioned credibility of the Twitter- appointed fact checkers. A BJP member in the Cocommittee said that while Twitter was quick to label party spokesperson Sambit Patra's tweet as "manipulated media", it did nothing about the recent Ghaziabad incident or during Delhi riots,

Twitter India's public policy manager Shagufta Kamran and legal counsel Ayushi Kapoor had deposed before the panel that its policy is on par with the rules and did not respond to the member's charges..

Members of the Committee took strong objection to the Twitter India representative's observation that its policy is on par with the rules.

In a statement, the Twitter spokesperson said: "We appreciate the opportunity to share our views before the Standing Committee on Information Technology. Twitter stands prepared to work with the Committee on the important work of safeguarding citizens' rights online in line with our principles of transparency, freedom of expression, and privacy.

""We will also continue working alongside the Indian Government as part of our shared commitment to serve and protect the public conversation." the statement added.

The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee, comprising of 21 Lok Sabha members and 10 Rajya Sabha members and headed by Congress' Shashi Tharoor, had summoned Twitter over issues related to misuse of its platform.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology had asked Twitter to appear before it on June 18 to present its views on prevention of misuse of its platform.

The Committee was supposed to hear the views of representatives of Twitter followed by evidence from 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'.