War of words

Synopsis – The ongoing spat between Twitter and the GOI has escalated, with the account of India’s IT minister being temporarily blocked.

Introduction-

• The Social media platform Twitter temporarily blocked IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad’s account after receiving a complaint for violation of copyright law.
• Prasad lashed out at the Twitter, said that the micro-blogging platform violated India’s IT Rules by not giving him prior notice of the action.
• This comes after the backdrop of the micro-blogging giant being in a tussle with the Indian government since last month over compliance with the country’s new intermediary guidelines.

Why twitter blocked IT minister’s account

• Twitter had reportedly received a notice for violations under the DMCA [Digital Millennium Copyright Act], filed by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [on behalf of Sony Music Entertainment].
  • DMCA is an anti-piracy law enforced in the US, which prevents the illegal duplication or selling of copyrighted work on the internet.
• The content in question being A.R. Rahman’s song Maa Tujhe Salaam. 

Ongoing Issues with Twitter-

• Twitter’s Inability to pull down or label problematic content consistently.
• Also, the non-compliance with IT new rules and failure to appoint key personnel [Chief Compliance officer] mandated under the new guidelines, despite repeated reminders.

Way forward-

• A verbal war is not an option , the government must act in accordance with IT rules and regulations.
• The government should impose regulations on Twitter, but it should not be spiteful for political purposes.

Source- The Hindu