‘Singled out by goverment’- Twitter users could ‘jointly approach court’ as posts, handles blocked

• Image Credit: Internet

• Jun 29, 2022 | Kabir Chakraborty

Twitter has suspended several accounts, including two that were at the centre of the demonstrations against the three farm regulations that have since been repealed: Kisan Ekta Morcha and Tractor2twitr. These accounts, which have a combined following of about 5 lakh, were also criticised by the government and banned from Twitter last year for allegedly disseminating "disinformation."

Digital Desk: Some of the
impacted parties are considering taking legal action after Twitter disabled
more than 80 links over the weekend, including tweets and accounts. Popular
accounts affected include that of writer Rana Ayyub, activist Amaan Bali, a
Sikh from Kashmir, and two handles associated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, a
confederation of agricultural groups (SKM).

The owners of
"withheld" accounts assert that they received letters, but without
any further explanation, alerting them that Twitter had taken the measure to
comply with "local regulations" under the Information Technology Act
2000.

Amaan Bali told the media
that the government had "singled out" him and other account holders
because they have been resisting it. He said that other account holders and he
are "in talks."

We might go to court
together," he said, adding that he wasn't sure how much this would assist
because it was hard to get the facts because of the "anonymity and
vagueness" of the accusations that led to the blocking of accounts.

SKM spokesperson Harinder
Happy added that the group was contemplating legal action but that they wanted
to spread awareness of the claimed "arbitrary actions" of the
government in the interim.

A notification that states
"account withheld" signifies that Twitter "was compelled to
withhold the whole account named in response to a valid legal demand, such as a
court order," according to Twitter.

According to Twitter's
rules, accounts may need to be withheld in response to a "legitimate and
adequately scoped request from an authorised party.

The Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting (I&B) stated earlier this year that the
government would hold media outlets and social media accounts responsible if
they disseminated false information or material that endangered national
security.

Twitter has suspended
several accounts, including two that were at the centre of the demonstrations
against the three farm regulations that have since been repealed: Kisan Ekta
Morcha and Tractor2twitr. These accounts, which have a combined following of
about 5 lakh, were also criticised by the government and banned from Twitter
last year for allegedly disseminating "disinformation."

Harinder Happy claimed in
an interview with ThePrint that the account holders received no warnings or
information other than a "random email" informing them that they had
broken the IT Act.

"These arbitrary
government acts are a sign of their attempts to discredit those who disagree
with them and their ideas. We are debating how to pursue a legal option so that
we could at least fully comprehend the situation. he said.

Amaan
Bali, who is well-known for his writing on "Sikh concerns," claimed
he thought he was the target not just for his views but also for his influence.

Bali claimed that his
contributions "did not set good with not only this government but even the
previous one."

Bali stated he did not
have great hopes of the legal system, despite the fact that he is contemplating
going to court.

"In the past, none of
these legal choices helped anyone... Months of judicial proceedings can be
challenging to endure, Bali said, adding that he intended to emphasise
"Sikh tales" and make his voice heard on other platforms.

Shashi Shekhar Vempati,
the former CEO of the public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, also received a
notification from Twitter. Last year, his account had also been temporarily
disabled.

Vempati claims that
because he had tweeted about a "incendiary hashtag" that called for
government action, his handle was "wrongly withheld" at the time. He
continued, saying that the identical tweets "appear" to have been blocked
this time.

In his opinion, Twitter
lacks the ability to distinguish between "the culprits and those who
attracted attention to the perpetrators," he claimed. He claimed to have
raised the matter in writing with the Ministry of Electronics and Information
Technology (MeitY).

color:black">Social media crackdowns have been attributed by some digital
rights advocates and attorneys to the contentious new IT Rules that were
announced last year.

color:black">Siddharth Chandrashekhar, an attorney at the Bombay High Court,
claimed that the new regulations allowed the government "broad
powers" to deal with suspected non-compliance and placed "multiple
rigorous compliance limits" on social media giants.

color:black">In the right hands, rules may be a powerful instrument for
influencing social media. But in the present situation, it looks that the
government has overstepped its bounds and abused the laws," he stated.

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