Twitter Sues Indian Govt over Content Take Down Orders

Social media giant Twitter has filed a case challenging some Indian government orders to take down content on the platform, a source familiar with the matter said.

The microblogging company's attempt to get a judicial review is part of a growing confrontation with the Indian government over content regulation.

The lawsuit, which reportedly alleges abuse of power by officials, comes amid increasing tension between the government and the US based social media company.

Over the last few years, Twitter has been asked by the government to take down hundreds of accounts and tweets. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has even warned the platform of criminal proceedings if it does not comply with orders by July 4.

According to the report, last year Twitter was asked by the government to act on content, including accounts supportive of an independent Sikh state, posts that spread misinformation about farmer protests and tweets critical of the government's Covid-19 handling.

A notice was sent on June 6 and then another on June 9, which the platform did not comply with. This is the third notice, which was sent on June 27 to the company’s Chief Compliance Officer.

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