Twitter is blocking tweets criticizing the Indian government
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As the Indian coronavirus pandemic is on the rise without control, is repressing the country’s government – on social media. On Thursday, the Indian government ordered Twitter to block more than 50 tweets criticizing how it handled the pandemic. Filled with Twitter, the people of the country were prevented from seeing messages from a state minister, a member of the opposition Indian Parliament, a filmmaker, an actor, two journalists and several ordinary people.
On Saturday, Twitter posted details of the order Lumen database, a Harvard University project that tracks releases from governments around the world. It was news was first reported Medianama websites of Indian technology policies.
“When we receive a valid legal request, we review it in accordance with Twitter’s rules and local law. If the content violates Twitter rules, the content will be removed from the service, “a Twitter spokesman told BuzzFeed News.” If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not violated Twitter rules, perhaps access access Only to Indian content. ”The company said it had previously informed people who restricted tweets in India, and told them that the company was responding to an order from the Indian government.
India’s IT ministry has not responded to a request for comment from BuzzFeed News.
A reduced one tweets Moloy Ghatak is the party minister of the Trinamool Congress of India in the West Bengal state, and Narendra Modi was recently the Hindu nationalist prime minister. massive election rallies even though hundreds of thousands of Indians tested positive for COVID-19 every day.
Ghatak’s tweet criticized Modi for mishandling the pandemic.
The government also restricted dozens of tweets criticizing Modi or sharing photos of India overcrowded incinerators and hospitals, also tweet From the Indian American Muslim Council, an organization for the defense of Indian Muslims based in Washington DC. This group shared a Vice story About Kumbh Mela, this month hundreds of thousands of Indians took part in the Hindu pilgrimage, and which turned on at a super outreach event.
BuzzFeed News has approached Ghatak and the Indian American Muslim Council for comment.
Earlier this year, cases of coronavirus in India collapsed and most places in the country resumed normal life. In early March, the Minister of Health of India he said that the country was in the “last game” of the pandemic. But the country a the second wave caused by a new variant of the virus, religious gatherings and election rallies. Today India is the country with the highest number of daily infections and its health system has collapsed. Medical oxygen is scarce, fans are difficult to find, and there are few vaccines. According to data from John Hopkins, India had 346,786 new cases on Friday and 2,624 deaths.
Despite the numbers, Modik has done it he continued conducting massive election rallies.
It’s not the first time Twitter has complied with orders from the Indian government to censor tweets. In February, the company blocked Hundreds of thousands of farmers criticized the government’s handling of protests against the new agriculture laws in more than 250 accounts in India. The company then moved on challenging note, unlocking the accounts of journalists, activists and politicians, however prison threats From the government of India.
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