Twitter begins legal battle with India’s Government

Twitter is taking the Indian Government to court over orders to take down content

Indian officials are warning Twitter over content, which allegedly “threatens the security of the state” and public order.

The Indian Government is warning of consequences if the tech company does not comply.

The U.S. company risks losing its ‘intermediary status’ under the nation’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021, which requires social media organisations to take down content when ordered to do so.

But the social media giant is reportedly resisting “several” of these orders, and is taking the government to court.

In May, the company raised concerns over freedom of expression in the country. It came days after police visited its offices in New Delhi.

Freedom House is a prodemocracy organisation, which says “Indian human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and ordinary internet users criticising those in power too often face this kind of censorship.”

The organisation is urging Indian authorities to lift their restrictions. Twitter has more than 24 million users in India.