The central government objected to Twitter on Friday, calling a tweet by BJP spokesman Sambit Patra “manipulated media”. In the tweet in question, Sambit Patra had shared some screenshots of a “toolkit” prepared by the Congress Party to attack and defame Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Congress has dismissed these allegations, claiming that the screenshots consisted of text printed on a “fake” Congress letterhead. The party has also registered FIRs against BJP leaders in this regard.
WHAT’S GOING ON THERE?
Senior government sources said the central government, in its message to Twitter, asked the social media giant to remove the “manipulated media” tag. Twitter could not make a decision on an investigated matter.
Sources familiar with the development said the Department of Electronics and IT wrote “a strong notice” to Twitter, registering objections to the use of the “compromised media” tag on certain tweets.
READ: Twitter features Sambit Patra tweet: A look at how tampered media is recognized
The notice referred to Sambit Patra’s tweet (without naming him) as “tweets created by Indian political leaders referring to a toolkit designed to undermine government efforts against the Covid-19 pandemic, to derail and belittle “.
TWITTER CANNOT INTERFER TO THE SAMPLE, PASS JUDGMENT: GOVERNMENT
According to sources, the government has asked Twitter to remove the “manipulated media” tag as the investigation by law enforcement agencies is pending.
That being said, sources say the government has made it clear that Twitter cannot pass such a judgment while the matter is under investigation.
The “manipulated media” The flagging appeared as “biased, non-judgmental” and as a “deliberate attempt to color the investigation” by the local law enforcement agency and “affect the fair investigation process,” the press release said.
The government said the ongoing investigation into the matter would determine the veracity of the content and not Twitter. It urged Twitter not to interfere in the investigation.
TAG ADDED TO SAMPLE INFLUENCE: GOVERNMENT
According to sources, the ministry told Twitter that while the local law enforcement agency is investigating the accuracy of the “takedit”, Twitter has unilaterally drawn a conclusion on the matter and has arbitrarily labeled it as “manipulated media”.
READ: Youth Congress files police complaint against Sambit Patra for “counterfeit toolkits”
It added that this was an attempt “to sway the fair investigation” and a “clear overreach that is totally unjustified”.
Such measures not only undermine Twitter’s credibility as a neutral and unbiased platform that facilitates user exchange of views, but also question Twitter’s status as an “intermediary,” the sources said.
In its policy, Twitter says it can “flag tweets that contain media (video, audio, and images) that have been deceptively altered or created”.
CONG DRITED TWITTER, SUSPENDING BJP LEADERS ACCOUNTS
In the meantime, on Thursday, two days after filing a PoLice complaint against the BJP in the “toolkit case”, the Congress wrote on Twitter asking it to suspend the accounts of BJP boss JP Nadda, union minister Smriti Irani, party leaders Sambit Patra and BL Santosh for allegedly “spreading misinformation and civil unrest” through the use of “forged” documents.
“We have officially written to Twitter to request the blocking of Twitter accounts for BJP leaders who distribute fake documents attributed to Congress,” said Rohan Gupta, director of congressional social media.
(With PTI inputs)
READ: Covid Toolkit Case: Congress Files Complaint Against JP Nadda, Smriti Irani, and Other BJP Leaders
ALSO READ: Congress accuses BJP of using “toolkit counterfeiting” to divert attention from Covid’s “bugs”.
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