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India issues 'one last notice' to Twitter to comply with IT rules

New Delhi - Micro blogging site also has to face the consequences as per the IT Act

The Indian government issued 'one last notice' to Twitter on Saturday, directing it to appoint India-based officers in line with the new rules for social media companies. It also warned Twitter it will have to face the consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws.

“Twitter Inc. is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the Rules, failing which the exemption from liability available under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 shall stand withdrawn and Twitter shall be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of India,” Rakesh Maheshwari, group coordinator, cyber law, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, informed Twitter.

According to him, Twitter’s refusal to comply demonstrated its lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform. “Despite being operational in India for more than a decade, it is beyond belief that Twitter Inc. has doggedly refused to create mechanisms that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources,” he said.

“Leave alone proactively creating such a mechanism, Twitter Inc. is in the inglorious bracket of refusing to do so even when mandated by law.”

In February, the Indian government had come out with guidelines covering social media platforms, who were asked to appoint a resident grievance officer, a chief compliance officer, and a nodal contact person by May 26. Most US-based companies including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google and WhatsApp had failed to adhere to the new norms. But most are now gradually falling in line.