Government of India issues final notice to Twitter for compliance with new IT rules
The Indian government has issued a final notice to social media giant Twitter for complying with the new IT rules for digital media intermediaries.
FollowNew Delhi: The government on Saturday issued a final notice to social media platform Twitter for compliance with the new Information Technology (IT) rules, 2021.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) in a notice said that the new intermediary guideline rules have become effective from May 26, 2021 and it has been more than a week but Twitter has refused to comply with the provisions of these rules.
''It is clear from the responses till date that Twitter has not informed about the details of the Chief Compliance Officer as required under the rules,'' the ministry's notice stated. Further, the Resident Grievance Officer and Nodal Contact Person nominated is not an employee of Twitter Inc. in India as prescribed in the rules, it added.
“Till date, Twitter has not informed about the details of the Chief Compliance Officer as required under the rules. Further, Resident Grievance Officer and Nodal Contact Person nominated by you is not an employee of Twitter Inc. in India as prescribed in the Rules. The office address of Twitter Inc as mentioned by you is that of a law firm in India, which is also not as per the Rules,” read the letter, first shared on Twitter by ANI.
"As gesture of goodwill, Twitter Inc is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the rules. Failure to comply will lead to Twitter losing exemption from liability under IT Act and draw penal provisions," the notice mentioned.
The Ministry stated that though the rules have been in effect from 26 May 2021, as a gesture of goodwill, Twitter is given one last notice to immediately comply with the rules, failing which the exemption from liability available under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 shall stand withdrawn and Twiner shall be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of India.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Delhi high court had said that social media platforms, including Twitter, have "no choice" but to comply with India’s new IT rules for digital media.
Twitter assured the court it had complied with the rules and already appointed a resident grievance officer, adding it would file its response to the plea. But the Centre disputed the claim.
New IT rules
Under the new digital rules, social media companies like Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been asked to identify within 36 hours the originator of a flagged message as well as conduct additional due diligence, including the appointment of a chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and resident grievance officer.
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