Twitter seeks more time from Indian government for New IT Rules due to pandemic

American microblogging service, Twitter is said to have sought the Indian government, seeking additional time to meet the requirements of the new IT rules. The social media platform, according to reports, aims to follow the guidelines but needs extra time because of the pandemic situation in the country.

As per a source, "the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) has received a letter from Twitter requesting extra time to comply with the IT requirements. It has stated that it intends to follow the guidelines but is unable to do so due to the pandemic."

Twitter's reaction comes after the government issued a harsh final notice to the service last week on its non-compliance with the new laws.

"Twitter has been and continues to be deeply dedicated to India, as well as serving the essential public conversation on service," according to a Twitter spokesperson.

Further, they said, "we've informed the Indian government that Twitter is working hard to comply with the new requirements, and an update on our progress has been provided. We will keep talking to the Indian government in a constructive manner."

MeitY stated in its notice that Twitter's unwillingness to follow the regulations showed the microblogging site's "lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform."

"It is beyond belief that, despite being operational in India for more than a decade, Twitter has stubbornly refused to create a mechanism that will enable the people of India to fix their issues on the platform promptly and transparently, through fair processes, by India-based, clearly identified resources," the ministry stated.

The new IT guidelines for social media businesses, which went into effect last month, require huge platforms like Facebook and Twitter to conduct more due diligence and to be more accountable and responsible for the content they host.

The guidelines also compel major social media intermediaries - who largely provide messaging services - to allow for the identity of the "first originator" of information that threatens India's sovereignty, security, or public order.

Significant social media intermediaries, defined as those with more than 50 lakh users, must employ a grievance officer, a nodal officer, and a chief compliance officer, according to the guidelines. These personnel must be Indian citizens.

Furthermore, social media corporations will be required to remove flagged content within 36 hours and content flagged for concerns such as nudity and pornography within 24 hours.

According to the ministry's notice, "consequences follow" due to Twitter's non-compliance with rules, "as a gesture of goodwill, Twitter is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the rules, failing which the exemption from liability available... shall stand withdrawn and Twitter shall be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of the United Kingdom," with effect from 26th May 2021.

Though the warning did not specify a deadline for the microblogging service to comply with the guidelines.

If these companies do not follow the requirements, they will lose their intermediate status, which protects them from liability for any third-party data they host. In other words, they may face criminal charges if complaints are registered.

The new laws, according to the federal government, are intended to prevent platform abuse and misuse while also providing users with a robust mechanism for grievance resolution.