In the national capital, New Delhi, hospitals have had to knock on the door of judicial courts to request government assistance in procuring supplies of oxygen. Adults over the age of 18 will be able to get their first shot of vaccine only starting next month. While the world was watching all of this unfold, India ordered social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to remove more than 100 posts critical of the government’s handling. Twitter deleted or restricted 52 posts — first reported by Medianama on Saturday — including some by Members of the Parliament, actors, and filmmakers. The company had a template response to this action citing valid legal requests by the government and its own policy: The list on the Lumen database, a site that lists takedown orders, suggests that some restricted tweets contained pictures such as cremation grounds (even in the form of cartoons and illustrations), a seemingly doctored photo of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s billboard, and an elderly woman sitting with an oxygen cylinder. However, some other tweets in the list didn’t have any of this. It’s hard to know the exact reason behind the government’s requests as these orders are protected by India’s laws.
— Ivan Mehta (@IndianIdle) April 25, 2021 Facebook and Instagram haven’t commented on the issue at this moment. Twitter has had its tiffs with the Indian government over the years. In February, it restricted several critical tweets of the farmer’s protest (believed to be among the world’s largest demonstrations) from the well-known accounts including a prominent publication, a farmer’s organization, and a Bollywood actor. But hours after the action, the social network restored some of these tweets citing reasons of newsworthiness and freedom of expression. A few days after the incident, the government threatened Twitter employees with jail time for not following orders. India rolled out its new social media rules in February that requires platforms to tackle takedown requests within 36 hours if authorities provide them with a valid order. However, these orders are kept under wraps, so there is no way to know why some posts were removed. This incident of covid-critical tweet restrictions is just another stat in the chart.
