Government Vs Twitter: Can Big Tech Say No?

Feb 14 2021, 2:21 PMFeb 14 2021, 2:21 PMFebruary 14 2021, 2:21 PMFebruary 14 2021, 2:21 PMTwitter accounts of an investigative news magazine, a member of parliament, and an organisation supporting farmer protests in Delhi were among the handles that suddenly became inaccessible for Indian users on Feb 1. The takedown was in response to the central government’s orders under the Information and Technology Act.But soon after, some of the accounts were restored. As of Friday, Twitter has again reportedly complied with the government’s orders and over 97% of the accounts flagged have been blocked.The restoration and blocking of these accounts have raised several critical questions:The lack of transparency from the government in issuing such orders.The ability of big tech to refuse compliance citing international laws.And an intermediary’s liability if it fails to comply with the government’s orders.The Back And Forth Between Feb. 1 And 12Over the course of the last 10 days, according to Twitter, it received multiple blocking orders, including two emergency orders from the government that were issued under Section 69A of the Information and Technology Act.Section 69A of the IT Act allows the government to issue reasoned and written orders to intermediaries or any government agency…
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