Back'Toolkit' case: Delhi police questions Twitter India head
The police are reported to have interrogated Maheshwari in Bengaluru on 31 MayThis came days after the police sent a notice to Twitter, seeking the rationale behind tagging a tweet by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra as 'manipulated media'
PremiumTwitter India managing director Manish Maheshwari was questioned by a special team of Delhi police last month over an alleged "Congress toolkit" matter, reported news agency ANI.
The police are reported to have interrogated Maheshwari in Bengaluru on 31 May.
This came days after the police sent a notice to Twitter, seeking the rationale behind tagging a tweet by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra as “manipulated media".
In his tweet, Patra had released details of a purported toolkit, a social media campaign playbook, that the Congress had allegedly prepared to defame the prime minister.
The "manipulated media" tag had emerged after Congress wrote to Twitter saying the alleged "toolkit" was fake and that it had filed FIRs against BJP leaders who had tweeted the documents.
Earlier, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had written to Twitter objecting to the tag.
It had asked the microblogging site to remove the same as the matter is pending investigation before a law enforcement agency.
Twitter loses indemnity
The development has come to light a day after Twitter lost its status as an intermediary platform in India for not complying with new IT rules.
According to reports, Twitter is the only social media platform among the mainstream that has not adhered to the new laws.
Now, instead of being considered just a platform hosting content from various users, Twitter will be held directly editorially responsible for posts published on its platform.
The implication of this development is that if there is any charge against Twitter for alleged unlawful content it would be treated as a publisher - not an intermediary - and be liable for punishment under any law, including IT Act, as also the penal laws of the country, sources stated.
Twitter's efforts
Earlier on 9 June, Twitter had written to the government that it is making every effort to comply with new guidelines concerning social media companies and has appointed a nodal contractual person (NCP) and Resident Grievance Officer (RGO) on a contractual basis and was in advanced stages of "finalising the appointment to the role of chief compliance officer", reported ANI.
Union ministry of electronics had on 5 June said that it had given Twitter one last notice to comply with the new rules concerning social media companies.
The ministry said in the letter that the New Intermediary Guideline Rules have become effective from 26 May.
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