India Expects Twitter to Comply With Country's Rules After Musk Takeover; New IT Rules Inbound, MoS IT Says

The government is expected to release its amended IT rules on Friday or Saturday after months of consultation.

By Reuters | Updated: 28 October 2022 11:25 IST

India Expects Twitter to Comply With Country's Rules After Musk Takeover; New IT Rules Inbound, MoS IT Says

Photo Credit: Reuters

Twitter has been engaged in a battle with the Indian government over content removal requests

Highlights

Elon Musk closed the Twitter takeover deal on Thursday
Twitter, GoI have been engaged in court battle over content moderation
Kangana Ranaut has shared user requests to restore Twitter account

Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter will not change India's expectation that it will comply with the country's rules for such companies, a government minister told Reuters on Friday, adding that India's new IT rules would be out in days. Musk became Twitter's owner on Thursday, firing top executives and providing little clarity over how he will achieve the lofty ambitions he has outlined for the influential social media platform. Twitter in July asked an Indian court to overturn some government orders to remove content from the platform.

Over the past two years, government authorities have asked the company to act on content such as accounts supportive of an independent Sikh state, posts alleged to have spread misinformation about protests by farmers, and tweets critical of the government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Our rules and laws for intermediaries remain the same regardless of who owns the platforms," said Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India's minister of state for electronics and information technology. "So, the expectation of compliance with Indian laws and rules remains."

Asked about what the government thought about the ban on Twitter for individuals such as Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, Chandrasekhar did not answer directly but said India's new amended IT rules would be released on Friday or Saturday after months of consultation.

Ranaut, who was banned from Twitter last year for violating its rules on hateful conduct and abusive behaviour, took to Instagram on Friday to applaud articles about Musk's takeover.

Ranaut, an ardent supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also shared requests from users who appealed to Musk to restore her Twitter account.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

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