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Not in favour of banning Twitter but norms are norms, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

Twitter and WhatsApp have separately approached the Delhi High Court against the new social media regulations
Last Updated 17 June 2021, 10:48 IST

A day after the central government withdrew Twitter's 'intermediary platform' status due to non-compliance with new IT rules, union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the government is not in favour of banning any platform but one must "follow the law".

"If half of the government is on Twitter including Prime Minister and President... that shows how fair we are. But norms are norms," Prasad told ANI when asked if Twitter could be banned.

The government received flak for the new social media rules which require the platforms to identify and share with the government the originator of a flagged message within 36 hours. The government had notified the changes on February 25 and allowed social media companies three months to comply with it. Twitter and WhatsApp had then separately approached the Delhi High Court against the new regulations.

Upon this, Prasad said the government does not want all messages to be encrypted. "It is my word that all ordinary users of WhatsApp can continue to use it. If any content goes viral, causing mob lynching, riots, killing, showing women in nudity, sexual exploitation of children, only in these limited categories, you'll be asked to declare who started the mischief. If viral messages are causing mayhem here, which originated from across the border then who started it in India, that's all we are seeking. This is in the public interest," he is quoted as saying by ANI.

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(Published 17 June 2021, 10:20 IST)

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