Twitter has refused an order from the Indian government to block certain Twitter accounts, including ones from politicians, activists, and journalists that were critical of the government’s response to a protest carried out in the country’s capital in January.
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Amid the ongoing farmers’ protests in India, a festering dispute between Twitter and the Narendra Modi government is oscillating between uneasy truce and open hostilities.
In terms of number of Twitter users, India ranks third in the world, making the country an attractive market for the social media giant. At the same time, Twitter along with Facebook have emerged as key instruments for Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to shape public opinion, as well as push back against what they perceive as voices congenitally opposed to both leader and party, whether at home or abroad. This dynamic had resulted in a semblance of balance when it came to how far the Modi government was willing to go to make Twitter comply with its diktats, and the extent to which Twitter would oblige given its commercial interests.
Facebook разъяснит политику конфиденциальности платформы в парламенте Индии tass.ru - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tass.ru Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Journalists in India face attacks, legal action, and threats
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Police officers patrol an area in Bangalore, Karnataka state, India, 12 August 2020, MANJUNATH KIRAN/AFP via Getty Images Dozens of local journalists were included in lists allegedly identifying them as “anti-Hindu” or as “Indian agents”. Because of this, several reporters in the list faced police investigations and attacks while performing their duties.
This statement was originally published on cpj.org on 17 December 2020.
In September and October 2020, lists circulating online allegedly identifying journalists as “anti-Hindu” or as “Indian agents” named dozens of local members of the press, police opened investigations into at least two reporters and one media executive, and authorities attacked at least one journalist during the course of his reporting, according to news reports and journalists who spoke with CPJ.