https://www.medianama.com/2021/04/223-twitter-mp-minister-censor/ wordpress blog stats * MediaNama * News * Focus + Privacy + Freedom Of Expression + Drones + ECommerce + Competition + Facial Recognition + Net Neutrality + Intermediary Liability * Discover + Views + Interviews + Guides + Summaries + Editorial + Event Coverage + Consultations * Subscription * My Account Connect with us * * * * Hi, what are you looking for? [Search ] [Search] * My account * Reports * Support * Careers * Events MediaNama MediaNama MediaNama * News + [aadhaar-surveillance] Tamil Nadu to upgrade criminal tracking architecture, integrate with external databases like facial recognition system + Twitter Twitter takes down tweets from MP, MLA, editor criticising handling of pandemic upon government request + [RBI-2] RBI blocks American Express and Diners Club from on-boarding new customers + [flat-3252983_1280] Anti COVID-19 measures: University in Maharashtra to introduce facial recognition for attendance + [glenn-carstens-peters-EOQhsfFBhRk-unsplash-600x337] MoneyControl Pro and News18's vernacular sections performing well: Network18 * Focus + Privacy + Freedom Of Expression + Drones + ECommerce + Competition + Facial Recognition + Net Neutrality + Intermediary Liability * Discover + Views + Interviews + Guides + Summaries + Editorial + Event Coverage + Consultations * Subscription * My Account Topics:Censorship, MeitY, Twitter News Twitter takes down tweets from MP, MLA, editor criticising handling of pandemic upon government request [9532] By Aroon Deep Published 9 hours ago * * * * Twitter By Aroon Deep and Aditya Chunduru You're reading it here first: Twitter has complied with government requests to censor 52 tweets that mostly criticised India's handling of the second surge of the COVID-19 pandemic. These tweets, which are now inaccessible to Indian users of the social media website, include posts by Revanth Reddy, a sitting Member of Parliament; Moloy Ghatak, a West Bengal state minister; actor Vineet Kumar Singh; and two filmmakers, Vinod Kapri and Avinash Das. MediaNama has seen public disclosures of the orders made available by Twitter to the Lumen Database. Lumen Database receives and publishes disclosures from private entities, including social media companies, of legal takedown notices they get from governments and private entities all over the world. MediaNama has previously reported the withholding of Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament Sukhram Singh Yadav's Twitter account based on a Lumen Database disclosure. Such orders are typically sent by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITY). Filmmaker and former journalist Vinod Kapri confirmed to MediaNama that he had received a notice from Twitter that his post was restricted in India. Twitter user Gagandeep Kaur also confirmed receiving such a notice. Another user publicly acknowledged a similar notice in a separate tweet. We have reached out to MEITY for comment. We are also awaiting responses from Moloy Ghatak, a minister in the West Bengal government whom we have called several times and messaged; Revanth Reddy, a Member of Parliament from the Indian National Congress, whose office we have reached out to multiple times; we have also reached out to other Twitter users mentioned in the disclosures. We will update this post as soon as we hear from them. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. [300X300-MN] Twitter sent across this statement in response to a query by MediaNama: When we receive a valid legal request, we review it under both the Twitter Rules and local law. If the content violates Twitter's Rules, the content will be removed from the service. If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter Rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only. In all cases, we notify the account holder directly so they're aware that we've received a legal order pertaining to the account. We notify the user(s) by sending a message to the email address associated with the account(s), if available. Read more about our Legal request FAQs. The legal requests that we receive are detailed in the biannual Twitter Transparency Report, and requests to withhold content are published on Lumen. -- Twitter Spokesperson The company added that it had notified users about their tweets' censorship, and that they only remove COVID-19 misinformation if it advances a harmful narrative, and is demonstrably false. What was removed West Bengal's minister of Labour and Law Moloy Ghatak tweeted that India would "never forgive" the Prime Minister for what he described as underplaying the seriousness of the pandemic, and for exporting doses to other countries. This tweet by Ghatak was removed for Indian users. MediaNama is not reproducing or quoting directly from these tweets. Revanth Reddy, Member of Parliament for Malkajgiri, Telangana, tweeted that India was having over 200,000 new cases of the virus per day, and that the healthcare system was collapsing, along with a picture of a mass cremation. This tweet, too, was removed. A tweet by ABP News editor Pankaj Jha, calling out the difference in attitudes towards the Tablighi Jamaat event in 2020 and the Kumbh Mela, was also removed. Actor Vineet Kumar Singh, for instance, tweeted in Hindi that he was in Varanasi and that it was difficult to get medication, and criticised political rallies being held amid the pandemic. The government ordered Twitter to remove this tweet for Indian users. We have reached out to Singh's publicist for comment. Filmmaker and former journalist Vinod Kapri made a tweet about the mass cremations with a video of one such cremation ground. In that tweet, Kapri made a sarcastic remark about how a promise to make more shmashanas (Hindu cremation grounds) had been fulfilled. Twitter withheld this tweet in India. "India is facing biggest crisis of all times, thousands are dying EVERYDAY just because of lack of oxygen and medicines and it is my moral duty as a filmmaker and Journalist to tell the truth, to expose this inhuman and immoral Government who instead of supplying oxygen to dying patients, is writing to Twitter to take action against free and independent voices," Kapri wrote in a response to Twitter's email that he shared with MediaNama. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. [300X300-MN] There is no contentious hashtag these tweets have in common, like the #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide hashtag that the government strongly objected to the last time it had a few dozen tweets withheld in the country. Update (8:36pm): Added details of a user confirming receipt of a withholding notification from Twitter. Correction (9:09pm): An earlier version of this article misidentified the profession of Vinod Kapri in one instance. We regret the error. Also read * Free Software Movement Of India's Twitter Account Locked Over Picture Of CERT-In Complaint * MEITY Says It Has 'No Records' On Minutes Of Twitter Meeting It Issued Press Release On * Twitter India Puts Out Job Posting For Law Enforcement Liaison * Rajya Sabha MP Sukhram Singh Yadav Takes Up Twitter Blocking In Parliament * Here Are 62 Accounts And Tweets Twitter Withheld In Response To MEITY's Orders In this article:Censorship, MeitY, Twitter [mainlogo] Latest Headlines * Tamil Nadu to upgrade criminal tracking architecture, integrate with external databases like facial recognition system April 24, 2021 * Twitter takes down tweets from MP, MLA, editor criticising handling of pandemic upon government request April 24, 2021 * RBI blocks American Express and Diners Club from on-boarding new customers April 24, 2021 * Anti COVID-19 measures: University in Maharashtra to introduce facial recognition for attendance April 24, 2021 * MoneyControl Pro and News18's vernacular sections performing well: Network18 April 23, 2021 * * * * * Share * Tweet * * * You May Also Like [IMG_1-1-600x337] [IMG_1-1-100x1] News MEITY launches virtual NIXI Academy to boost IPv6 migration in India The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on Thursday launched the virtual NIXI Academy resource to further Indian networks' migration to IPv6. NIXI is... Aroon DeepApril 16, 2021 Trending * Covid19 * Government Policies * Ecommerce * Modi Government * Rules and Relguation * TATA Merger Latest News * WhatsApp Launches UPI-Based Payments Feature In India * MediaNama: Roundtable On Copyright And Digital Media * Should Amazon, Flipkart Show Country Of Origin Of Products? * After CEO Dick Costolo, Twitter's M&A Head Rishi Garg Quits * Gujarat HC Gives Livestreaming Court Proceedings A Shot [advt] [logoooter] MediaNama is the premier source of information and analysis on Technology Policy in India. More about MediaNama, and contact information, here. [facebook] [twitter] [linkedin] [youtube] (c) 2008-2021 Mixed Bag Media Pvt. Ltd. Developed By PixelVJ [ ][ ][ ] Subscribe to our daily newsletter Name:* [ ] Your email address:* [ ] [click to join]Please wait... [Hide this form for now] Please enter all required fields Click to hide Correct invalid entries Click to hide No spam, ever. Promise. * Contact * About * Events * Sponsor * Subscribe * Careers * Support * Terms Of Use * Privacy Policy (c) 2008-2021 Mixed Bag Media Pvt. Ltd. Developed By PixelVJ MediaNama * Contact * About * Events * Subscribe * Careers * Support * Terms & Conditions - MediaNama * Privacy Policy Copyright (c) 2020 MediaNama. Made in India. * * * * Join MediaNama Pro. Upgrade Your Understanding Of Technology Policy Subscribe to MediaNama Pro to gain access to actionable reporting, analysis and insights on what is shaping technology policy in India, and reshaping the world of technology. Subscription options Annual Subscribe for all access to MediaNama stories for 1 year Rs. 4,999 Subscribe 3 Years Support MediaNama's work by subscribing for 3 years. Rs. 11,999 Subscribe Group Subscription Keep your organisation up to date with the latest developments, with a dashboard to manage your team's access to MediaNama. Explore OR Login Now