Twitter and the Indian government are set to face off against each other, after the social media site ignored a government order to block a number of Twitter accounts.
This comes in the aftermath of protests by farmers in the Indian capital, New Delhi, which have been ongoing for two months. The farmers are protesting against new legislation in the agricultural sector.
Twitter had initially complied with the government’s request to block 200 accounts (including that of an influential current affairs magazine) which had tweeted the hashtag #modiplanningfarmersgenocide, in reference to Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. Following an outcry from free speech advocates Twitter reversed the decision and once again granted access to the blocked accounts.
Twitter could fall foul of Indian law, which gives the government the power to direct social media companies to take action such as blocking accounts ‘in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India’. Twitter has not commented as yet and it remains what action the government will take against the company.
Last week clashes between protestors and police left at least one protestor dead, and scores of police and protestors injured.
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