Twitter loses immunity over user-generated content in India

Twitter lost its liability protection against user-generated content in India after failing to comply with new IT rules, said the Indian government in a court filing.

The government has repeatedly criticised the company for non-compliance with said rules. India's IT ministry told the High Court in New Delhi that Twitter's non-compliance amounted to a breach of the provisions of the IT Act. The filing act was dated as of 5 July.

The case was brought on by a Twitter user who complained about some allegedly defamatory tweets on the platform and accused the social media firm of not complying with Indian law, which required the appointment of certain new executives.

As a result of the ongoing public spat, and the tougher regulations, some American firms are growing concerned that it will become difficult to do business in the country.

India’s new law attempts to regulate content on social media platforms and make the firms more accountable to legal requests for the swift removal of posts.

Without the protection, on paper Twitter is responsible for everything those users say on its platform. This means that Twitter executives in India could face criminal charges over content that is deemed objectionable on the platform.

“All social media platforms are welcome to do business in India. They can criticize Ravi Shankar Prasad, my Prime Minister or anyone. The issue is of misuse of social media. Some of them say we are bound by American laws. You operate in India, make good money, but you will take the position that you’ll be governed by American laws. This is plainly not acceptable,” India’s IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said in a conference last week.