Arbitrariness of Twitter continues – presented wrong map of India. Image Courtesy – Hindustan GK
The arbitrariness of Twitter continues following a sequence of clashes with the Indian government again and again. This time Twitter excluded Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh from the map. There was an array of protests after seeing such a strange picture on a map of India on Twitter yesterday. The central government may have taken tough action against Twitter, it was thought. But it turned out that the Uttar Pradesh police were active before that.
Uttar Pradesh police arrested Indian Twitter chief Manish Maheshwari Tuesday. It was learned that a leader of Bajrang Dal has lodged a complaint against him. Manish Maheshwari has been arrested on the basis of that FIR. The controversial map was part of Twitter’s ‘Tweep Life‘ section. There Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were kept outside the borders of India. They were shown as separate states.
Twitter excluded Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh from the map of India. Image Courtesy – NDTV
A Twitter user brought up this controversial map. Many reacted angrily to his tweet. Netizens have also expressed their anger in the comment box. Twitter removed the map yesterday evening after that.
It was thought that the Indian government could take strict action against Twitter for displaying such misleading maps. The center has been in conflict with Twitter on several issues. The conflict has intensified, especially with digital law.
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According to sources, an FIR has been lodged against the Indian head of Twitter under Section 505 (2) of the Information Technology Amendment Act, 2006 and the Indian Penal Code. The FIR also contains the name of another Twitter worker, Amrita Tripathi. She has responded on behalf of herself on Twitter. It remains to be seen whether the central government will take any action.
This debate involving online platforms like Twitter is not limited to India nor has it entangled the Government of India alone. Germany and France have already expressed concern and become partners. Steffen Seibert, the Head of the German Federal Government’s Press and Information Office, said, “Chancellor Merkel is concerned about the move to close the account of an elected president altogether. Freedom of expression can be interfered with, but, it should be through law and within the scope set by the Parliament, not the result of a corporate decision.”
France went a step further when it expressed concern over the closure of Donald Trump’s social media account. On this issue, Clément Beaune, Minister of State for European Affairs in France, told that “The decision to remove Trump from Twitter and Facebook should be made by the public, not the company’s CEO. There should be public legislation to regulate large online companies.”
Sooner or later other democracies will join the debate. Trump was banned from these forums yesterday; today Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Information and Technology in India is blocked; maybe tomorrow another leader in another part of the world will have to face this kind of interfering.
This should not be acceptable. This kind of activity should not be tolerated in India and not even in the 21st century. The administration of Twitter must obey the law and orders of the Indian government. Their arbitrariness will not be tolerated.
