India : India’s main opposition party is accusing Twitter of stifling freedom of speech after the company took action against hundreds of tweets that identified the family of a child who was allegedly raped and murdered.
Twitter’s (TWTR) decision followed a call from India’s child protection agency to block access to tweets it said identified a 9-year old girl who was killed in Delhi earlier this month. Police are investigating allegations of rape made by the victims’ family and neighbors.
The girl was a member of the Dalit community, the most oppressed group in India’s Hindu system of caste hierarchy. Four men have been arrested, though they have not yet been charged.
The incident prompted a judicial inquiry and sparked days of protests from outraged villagers and activists who think Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has not done enough to address longstanding sexual assault problems.
Congress spokesperson Rohan Gupta told that 5,000 of its accounts had been blocked by Twitter after posting Gandhi’s picture. He accused the company of “acting under the pressure of government.”
“I understand @Twitter’s position that it has no choice but block accounts that violate Indian law &Twitter policy. While the law is what it is, policy can be reviewed,” tweeted senior party leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday. “Automatically locking accounts is an extreme step that stifles the freedom of expression of Indian citizens.”
According to Twitter’s rules, if a tweet violates its policies and has yet to be deleted by the account holder, the company locks the account and hides the Tweet behind a notice acknowledging the policy violation. The account holder can unlock the account by removing the post or successfully appealing the decision.
CNN
