Government doubts Twitter 'neutrality' after CEO Dorsey likes pro-farmer protests tweets

Dorsey had sparked a social media storm after a picture of him holding a poster saying "smash Brahminical patriarchy", went viral

The Modi government is now concerned about the 'neutrality' of microblogging site Twitter after its CEO Jack Dorsey liked pro-farmers tweets and those praising Rihanna, one of the first celebrities from the West to raise her voice for the farmers protest taking place near Delhi borders for over two months now.

Jack Dorsey liked tweets by a Washington Post reporter who praised Rihanna for her stand on farmers and asked Twitter to add a new emoji in support of the protest, like it did for the 'Black Lives Matter' movement after the death of George Floyd, who allegedly died due to police brutality.

"It raises questions over the neutrality of the platform" a government source said.

Series of sour relationships culminating?

Recently, Twitter faced flak from the Indian government for restoring several accounts after 'withholding' them.

Farmers are conducting a growing protest against new agriculture laws and the government last week sought an "emergency blocking" of the "provocative" Twitter hashtag "#ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide" and dozens of accounts.

Twitter initially complied but later restored most of the accounts, citing "insufficient justification" to continue the suspensions.

Twitter's refusal to comply with a government directive to block more than 250 accounts and posts for using the '#FarmerGenocide' hashtag put the social media giant at the centre of a political firestorm in one of its key markets.

Also Read | Farmers' protest: An insecure, paranoid govt

Government officials, business people and ordinary netizens are split over free speech and the US company's compliance practices.

The showdown after Twitter this week "declined to abide (by) and obey" the order to remove posts and accounts that the government said risked inciting violence, is the latest instance of worsening relationships between Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration and US social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.

Meenakshi Lekhi, a BJP lawmaker, who heads a parliamentary panel on data privacy, has criticised Twitter for disobeying government orders, adding she has yet to decide whether to summon company executives.

"Twitter needs to understand they are not lawmakers," Lekhi told Reuters. "It is not their policy which will work, it is the policy of the state, country which will work."

Twitter's public policy director resigns

Twitter's public policy director Mahima Kaul recently resigned from her role. A LinkedIn ad showed the company is seeking candidates for the key government relations position.

Twitter, confirming Kaul's resignation, said that she would stay on through March and was helping with the transition, but otherwise declined to comment.

Also read: Centre asks Twitter to remove 1,178 Pakistani-Khalistani accounts over spreading 'misinformation' on farm stir

It said this week that it withholds access to content on receiving a "properly scoped request from an authorised entity".

Meanwhile, the Centre has asked Twitter to remove 1,178 Pakistani-Khalistani accounts for spreading misinformation and provocative content around farmers' protests.

(With agency inputs)