The suit, filed in the Karnataka High Court in Bangalore, is the first legal challenge against laws passed in 2021 allowing the Indian Government to censor its critics online.
A Threat to Freedom of Expression
Twitter is challenging a law which came into play just before the Indian ban of VPNs, and gave the Indian government the right to demand that social media companies remove any posts or accounts that are critical of the Indian government, or risk facing jail time. While Twitter initially complied to avoid losing its liability protections, the tech giant is now fighting back, calling the rules “a potential threat to freedom of expression” and an erosion of security measures— and it’s not the only company that thinks so. According to the New York Times, “the laws have been met with an outcry from Twitter and other social media platforms, which view India as an essential part of their plans for long-term growth. The companies have argued that India’s rules allow the government to broadly censor its critics, and that they erode security measures like encryption. But Indian officials have said the law is necessary to combat online misinformation.” While the case is still pending, the fight for data privacy in India continues. Still, despite India’s attempts to tighten the reins, could this lawsuit be the first of many? Support for freedom of speech certainly isn’t weaning. As the story evolves we’ll continue to watch this space.
