Jack Dorsey claims the Indian government threatened to close Twitter and conduct employee raids. The Indian government denies these claims.
Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey repeats grave accusations against the Narendra Modi-led Indian government. He stated that the Indian government ordered Twitter to block accounts and remove posts related to farmer protests, or else Twitter India employees’ residences would be raided, and the social media platform would be shut down.
However, the Indian government categorically denied these allegations, labeling them an “outright lie.” The Indian government asserts that between 2020 and 2022, Jack Dorsey and his Twitter team repeatedly violated Indian laws and failed to comply. During the protests, misinformation and false news on social media platforms such as Twitter sparked violence.
Former IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said:
“At the time, Twitter didn’t comply with Indian laws. It is clear that all social media platforms are respected in India but they have to abide by the law of the land.”
Minister of the Union Rajeev Chandrasekhar criticizes Jack Dorsey, disclosing that no one was raided or jailed. Twitter was never taken down and continuously operated normally. The social media platform complied in June 2022 after similar incidents occurred in the United States.
Twitter reinstated blocked accounts after a few hours, alleging that blocking the histories of media organizations, journalists, activists, and politicians violates their constitutional right to free expression.
Free expression on Twitter
Under Elon Musk, Twitter seeks to promote and defend free speech and individual rights. Elon Musk stated that Twitter cannot protect free speech in India. Linda Yaccarino, the new CEO of Twitter, made her first public statement on Monday, emphasizing her commitment to free expression.
Nonetheless, Twitter has taken significant measures to guarantee privacy and content moderation. Elon Musk and Jack have radically altered Twitter. The allegations of Jack Dorsey have sparked a discussion about free speech in India.
Have you ever been talking with someone particularly insightful and thought, you should have the freedom to speak your mind. We all should.
Enter Twitter 2.0.
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) June 12, 2023