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Sputnik International
Indian farmers’ protest in December 2020. Image via Wikimedia Commons by Randeep Maddoke. CC0 Public Domain.
On February 1, Twitter temporarily blocked people in India from viewing more than 250 accounts that appeared to express support to the farmers’ protests that have rocked the country for the past four months. The accounts were restored around six hours later.
Twitter then told news agency ANI that it withheld the accounts in response to a request from India s Ministry of Electronics and IT to block accounts that had tweeted the hashtag #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide for making “fake, provocative, and intimidatory tweets.”
The US-based platform explained its decision by pointing to its policy of withholding content in certain countries, which it employs when it receives “a request from an authorized entity” in that jurisdiction.
A tweet from singer Rihanna has apparently drawn the ire of the Indian government. On Tuesday, the pop star tweeted a news story about ongoing protests by farmers in India over.
Farm Laws: US Says Access to Internet, Peaceful Protests Are Hallmarks of a Thriving Democracy
The state department also said, âIn general, the United States welcomes steps that would improve the efficiency of Indiaâs markets and attract greater private sector investment.â
Barbed wires put across a road by Delhi Police to stop farmers from entering the national capital during their protest against the new farm laws, at Ghazipur border in New Delhi, Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021. Photo: PTI/Ravi Choudhary
Rights04/Feb/2021
New Delhi: A day after the Indian government organised an online campaign against comments by foreign celebrities, the United States has stated that peaceful protests and unhindered access to the internet are a “hallmark of thriving democracy”.