Twitter has filed a legal challenge in India against government orders to remove the content.
Sources said the social media giant had filed a petition in the Karnataka state high court opposing “several” such orders. Twitter responded to a letter from the government in June that warned of the “serious consequences” of non-compliance with such orders.
According to an estimate, Twitter has more than 24 million users in India.
After filing the petition, federal minister Rajiv Chandrashekhar tweeted that all foreign internet platforms must comply with Indian laws.
In many cases, for example, blocking off entire accounts is sought, the sources said. And many versions may contain content posted by “official handles of political parties”.
This is the latest step in the ongoing face-off between Twitter and India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government.
Over the past year, officials have asked the social media giant to remove tweets and block accounts, citing objections based on public order. These include tabs and tweets related to mass protests by farmers last year and tweets criticizing the government’s handling of the pandemic.
During the farmers’ protest, Twitter briefly blocked around 250 accounts in response to legal notice by the government, citing objections based on public order. These included accounts of an investigative news magazine and activists and groups supporting the months-long protests on the outskirts of Delhi.
But Twitter reinstated the accounts in six hours, citing “inadequate justification” for continuing the suspension.