Is Twitter getting banned in India? What are the new IT rules Twitter has to follow?

The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITy) on February 2021 released new IT guidelines that all social media platforms have to follow to run in India. These new IT rules gave social media giants like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram a three-month time frame to comply or they will be banned in the country. But, only Koo (an Indian alternative to Twitter) has been following the rules religiously whereas its counterpart has failed to do so. This is the reason why many people are wondering about "is Twitter getting banned in India?" If you have been wondering about the same, then do not worry, here is all you need to know about it.

Is Twitter getting banned in India?

According to the latest IT guidelines provided by the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, any social media company that does not comply with the new rules will be banned in the country. As we know, popular organisations including Twitter have not yet met the requirements, and the last date to do so is today that is May 25, 2021. So, if Twitter fails to meet the terms, it is highly likely that the government will ban the application and the portal completely in the country.

As per the guidelines issues by MEITy, Twitter will have to appoint compliance officers from the country. These officers will be responsible for overlooking, monitoring and removing objectionable content from the website. So, the social media platforms like Twitter will have to provide a monthly compliance report in which they will have to reveal how to handle user complaints in the country. The Chief Compliance Officer, Nodal Contact Person, and Resident Grievance Officer appointed by the portal will be responsible for handling such matters, but these designations must only be given to the residents of India.

Moreover, the official statement from the government also mentioned that if Twitter and other companies fail to comply with the new rules, then criminal action can be taken against them. They will lose their status and protections as intermediaries as well. Apart from this, the new IT rules have also asked OTT platforms like Netflix, Disney Plus Hotstar and Amazon to comply.

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