Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad took to Koo app on Friday to state that Twitter denied him access to his account for almost an hour on the alleged grounds that there was a “violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of the USA”.
His posts made on Indian social media app Koo came after social media giant Twitter blocked the Union Minister of Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad on the pretext of violating the copyright act of the United States of America.
“Friends! Something highly peculiar happened today. Twitter denied access to my account for almost an hour on the alleged ground that there was a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of the USA and subsequently they allowed me to access the account,” Ravi Shankar Prasad said on the Koo app.
Ravi Shankar Prasadgi@ravishankarprasadFriends! Something highly peculiar happened today. Twitter denied access to my account for almost an hour on the alleged ground that there was a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of the USA and subsequently they allowed me to access the account.(1/7)
Suggesting that Twitter took action against him for asking the micro-blogging site to comply the new IT rules, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “No matter what any platform does they will have to abide by the new IT Rules fully and there shall be no compromise on that.”
“It is apparent that my statements calling out the high-handedness and arbitrary actions of Twitter, particularly sharing the clips of my interviews to TV channels and its powerful impact, have clearly ruffled its feathers,” the Union minister said.
Ravi Shankar Prasadgi@ravishankarprasadIt is apparent that my statements calling out the high handedness and arbitrary actions of Twitter, particularly sharing the clips of my interviews to TV channels and its powerful impact, have clearly ruffled its feathers.(3/7)
Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that Twitter’s actions were in gross violation of Rule 4(8) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 as they failed to provide him any prior notice before denying him access to his own account.
The Union Minister further said that Twitter’s actions “indicate that they are not the harbinger of free speech that they claim to be but are only interested in running their own agenda, with the threat that if you do not tow the line they draw, they will arbitrarily remove you from their platform”.
Ravi Shankar Prasadgi@ravishankarprasadTwitter’s actions indicate that they are not the harbinger of free speech that they claim to be but are only interested in running their own agenda, with the threat that if you do not tow the line they draw, they will arbitrarily remove you from their platform.(6/7)
Micro-blogging site Twitter is yet again under the scanner for blocking the account of a Union Minister of the Indian government. Though the Twitter account of the Union Minister was visible for public viewing, Twitter did not allow anyone authorised to access this particular account to log in or make any post.
After almost an hour after blocking the Twitter account of the Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Twitter allowed him to access to his account with a warning message saying additional notices against his account may result in the account being locked again and potentially suspended.
Reportedly, the Indian government is unhappy with the brazenness of the social media company, which has been continuously enforcing its own rules while disrespecting Indian laws.
