Srinagar
Micro-blogging website Twitter has blocked a number of accounts and withheld dozens of tweets related to Kashmir.
New Delhi based The Indian Express reported that in a letter dated August 24, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology asked Twitter to block 19 accounts, most of these with tweets about Kashmir. It additionally mentioned 95 tweets in various handles, also on Kashmir, which it wanted to be blocked.
“In an earlier communication, dated August 16, the government had identified 95 accounts to be blocked, in addition to tweets, Twitter searches, and hashtags.
According to the report, the GoI has invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 for blocking 115 Twitter handles/ tweets.
Prior to this, a committee to examine the requests had met on August 4 and recommended blocking or removal of the tweets or accounts in the “interest of public order as well as for preventing any cognizable offence”.
“The ministry also asked for a compliance report from Twitter,” the report said.
Twitter wrote to multiple account holders over the weekend, telling them it had got “official communication” regarding their handles and the “correspondence claims that the following tweet(s) is/are in violation of Indian law”.
It said: “We may be obligated to take action regarding the content identified in the complaint in future.”
Twitter also asked the account holders if they would voluntarily remove the identified content, added the report.
