NDTV.com reported that the government has asked Twitter to appoint India-based officers following new rules for social media companies
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, on June 4 held a meeting that concluded that Twitter had not complied with the rules, reported news agency ANI. The microblogging website is yet to appoint India-based chief compliance officer, nodal contact person and grievance officer, said ANI.
"Twitter Inc. is hereby given one last notice to immediately comply with the Rules, failing which the exemption from liability available under section 79 of the IT Act, 2000 shall stand withdrawn and Twitter shall be liable for consequences as per the IT Act and other penal laws of India," the government said, according to the two reports.
The government last month accused Twitter of attempting to “dictate terms to the world’s largest democracy” and “defame India to hide their own follies,” escalating their dispute after the social network accused officials of intimidation.
It gave that statement after Twitter protested a Delhi Police team vising its premises in Delhi to deliver a notice in the inquiry pertaining to the labeling of posts by senior members of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The company issued a statement on May 27 describing the police visit as “intimidation tactics” and expressing concern about the government’s actions and IT rules that threaten to curb free speech.