Under Dorsey Twitter repeatedly violated Indian laws, says Rajeev Chandrasekhar; welcomes HC order

After the Karnataka High Court dismissed the case filed by microblogging site Twitter against the orders issued by the ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) to block and take down certain tweets and accounts, Union Minister of State for IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar hit out at former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey saying it was during latter’s tenure that the social media giant refused to obey the Indian laws.

Chandrasekhar welcomed the Karnataka High Court's ruling which also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on Twitter. The minister highlighted Twitter's failure to provide valid reasons for non-compliance with the Central government's requests for timely blocking of accounts.

"All platforms must comply with Indian law, and Twitter, under CEO Jack Dorsey, refused to do so. In response to the MeitY's notice of non-compliance, they approached the Karnataka High Court, but their plea has now been dismissed, accompanied by a Rs 50 lakh fine. Under Dorsey's leadership, Twitter has repeatedly violated India's laws. In fact, they were non-compliant multiple times from 2020 to 2022, and only in June 2022 did they finally comply.

The High Court's dismissal of Twitter's plea is evidence that Jack Dorsey's Twitter regime had difficulty acknowledging the sovereignty of Indian law. They can no longer act as if Indian laws do not apply to them," the minister said in a statement.

Chandrasekhar observed that it was the responsibility of the government to ensure that every company—foreign or Indian, big or small—complies with the country's laws. There is no discrimination against anybody, he said. “In the IT rules enacted in October 2022, it has been prescribed that no platform in India can violate article 14, 19 or 21 or indeed any other fundamental rights of an Indian citizen, so that is a matter of law,” the minister said.

The minister’s statement assumes significance as Dorsey in a recent interview had said Indian government had threatened to shut down his platform and raid the houses of its employees if they refused to comply with directions to block certain accounts during the farmers' agitation. Doresy’s comments had invited strong rebuttal from the Centre which said the platform should comply with the law of the land.

Chandrasekhar said the government was committed to providing an open, safe, trusted, and accountable internet for its citizens. He clarified that the power to block information is exercised within a limited scope.

Earlier, the Central government had contended that the directives to block specific Twitter accounts were issued in the national and public interest, aimed at preventing incidents of lynching and mob violence. Twitter's plea pertained to 10 blocking orders for 39 URLs issued by the Union government between February 2021 and February 2022.

The minister said, "Our government's policies are clear for all intermediaries operating in India - compliance with laws to ensure the internet is safe and trusted, and accountable. As a sovereign nation, India has the right to ensure that its laws are followed by all companies operating within its jurisdiction.

“During the protests in January 2021, there was an abundance of misinformation and even reports of fake genocide. The government was obligated to remove such misinformation from the platform to prevent the further escalation of the situation based on fake news. Twitter, under Dorsey's regime, exhibited partisan behavior by hesitating to remove misinformation from the platform in India, despite doing so when similar events occurred in the USA."