New Delhi, After a prominent national daily reported that Twitter executives could face up to seven years in jail for their failure to remove objectionable content, the IT Ministry said here on Wednesday the report appeared to be “exaggerated”.
“The report, as published, appears to be exaggerated, stemming from a misunderstanding of the established legal procedure,” the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a statement.
“We remain assured with the fact that the intermediary platforms have been working closely with the government in a congenial and mutually supportive manner,” the statement added.
A parliamentary committee recently summoned top Twitter executives over perceived bias in blocking accounts ahead of the general elections.
The MeitY has powers under Section 69A of the IT Act to direct blocking/removal of any information on Internet under exceptional scenarios of issues related to national security, sovereignty and integrity of the country, defence, friendly relations with foreign countries, public order or incitement to any of the above.
“Any issues relating to the same are taken up in accordance with the established legal procedures,” the ministry said.
