By means of PTI
NEW DELHI: Social community Twitter used to be requested via the federal government to dam more than one accounts and a few tweets from advocacy team Freedom Space, newshounds, politicians, and supporters of farmers’ protest final yr, in step with a file filed via the platform on June 26.
The requests from the federal government had been despatched between January 5, 2021, and December 29, 2021, in step with the file filed with Lumen database.
Main web firms like Google, Fb and Twitter report data with Lumen database about weblinks or accounts that they’ve been requested to dam via any entity below appropriate regulations.
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Then again, information about whether or not the request to dam a hyperlink or account used to be fulfilled aren’t to be had at the database.
In line with the file filed via Twitter, the social community used to be requested via the federal government to dam tweets of the world advocacy team Freedom Space which conducts analysis and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights together with freedom of speech and expression on the net internationally.
An email question despatched to the Ministry of Electronics and IT didn’t elicit any answer.
Twitter complying with Indian govt’s directive to withhold journalist @RanaAyyub’s tweet and block columnist @cjwerleman’s account in India are a part of an unacceptable new development of censorship on social media. This should prevent! Reporters voices are very important for a democracy https://t.co/jtXvHP6Nq3
— CPJ Asia (@CPJAsia) June 27, 2022
In line with the file, the federal government had requested Twitter to dam a couple of tweets from Freedom Space which talked concerning the state of web freedom in 2020 and famous its sharp decline in India.
The file confirmed that the federal government asked to dam tweets belonging to contributors of the Indian Nationwide Congress and Aam Aadmi Celebration, together with MLA Jarnail Singh.
The federal government had additionally asked Twitter to dam the account of Kisan Ekta Morcha.
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A random take a look at confirmed that many of the tweets and Twitter accounts that had been asked to be blocked had been obtainable to customers.
In a remark launched on Monday, the umbrella frame of farmers’ unions, Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), raised sturdy objections to the requests made via the federal government for blocking off tweets of those that stood in its fortify.
“Samyukta Kisan Morcha strongly opposes and condemns the withholding Twitter accounts allied with the farm motion at the directions of the Union Executive. Twitter has withheld a few dozen Twitter accounts in India, together with the Twitter maintain @kisanektamorcha allied with the Farm Motion, with none caution,” SKM mentioned.
The world team Committee to Give protection to Reporters condemned the federal government’s transfer to dam tweets of journalists– Rana Ayyub and CJ Werleman.
“Twitter complying with the Indian govt’s directive to withhold journalist @RanaAyyub’s tweet and block columnist @cjwerleman’s account in India are a part of an unacceptable new development of censorship on social media. This should prevent! Reporters’ voices are very important for a democracy,” CPJ Asia tweeted.