Twitter India Says Govt Order to Block Accounts Violation of Freedom of Speech

The high court heard a petition filed by Twitter which challenged the government's take-down orders issued on Feb 2021 and June 2022. Twitter has argued that while the central government has asked it to take down accounts which were tweeting news related to the farmer-led protests, the television and print media was allowed to showcase the events. 

Highlights

  • Twitter and the Indian government have been engaged in a battle for a long time.
  • The counsel of Twitter informed the high court that there are no provisions which allow wholesale blocking of accounts.
  • Twitter's outlook is that the blocking orders from the central government are a violation of the IT Act.

Follow Us

Twitter

Twitter and the Indian government have been engaged in a battle for a long time. On Monday, Twitter told the Karnataka High Court that the central government's order to block accounts on the platform is a violation of the freedom of speech and expression granted to Indian citizens under Article 19 A.




According to an ET report, the high court heard a petition filed by Twitter which challenged the government's take-down orders issued on Feb 2021 and June 2022. Twitter has argued that while the central government has asked it to take down accounts which were tweeting news related to the farmer-led protests, the television and print media was allowed to showcase the events.

Further, the counsel of Twitter informed the high court that there are no provisions which allow wholesale blocking of accounts. It can only be applied to tweets and not accounts. The Karnataka High Court will continue the hearing on October 17, 2022.

Twitter does not want to comply with the 39 blocking orders sent out by the central government of India as these orders do not pass the proportionality test. The report mentions that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had ordered Twitter to block 1474 accounts, 256 uniform resource locators (URL) and 175 tweets along with a hashtag in the period between February 2, 2021, and February 28, 2022.

Twitter's outlook is that the blocking orders from the central government are a violation of the IT Act.

Reported By

Editor in Chief

Tanay is someone with whom you can chill and talk about technology and life. A fitness enthusiast and cricketer, he loves to read and write.

Recent Comments

a1s :

That not a solution 5g needs more capex and opex. It is not easy just build provide cheap. jio able…

Vodafone Idea Seeks AGR Relief from Supreme Court, Cites Sector-Wide…

Phoenix96 :

Also do check BSNL is in sim slot 1 or the primary slot. Otherwise in some scenarios its noted to…

Why BSNL’s 4G Rollout is Critical for India’s Telecom Future

Phoenix96 :

I doubt it. Last time GoI made it clear no more equity conversions. Lets see , VI is really pushing…

Vodafone Idea Seeks AGR Relief from Supreme Court, Cites Sector-Wide…

Phoenix96 :

I doubt if further relief is on the table. Even GoI is at their limit and scindia said they won't…

Vodafone Idea Seeks AGR Relief from Supreme Court, Cites Sector-Wide…

Phoenix96 :

haha its almost like we are stuck in highend restaurant with mediocre food :D

Airtel Prepaid Plans for May 2025: Full Details with Unlimited…

Load More
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
7 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments