The government objected to the posters and called for them to be removed
The Indian government has criticized Twitter for applying the label "tampered media" to some Indian politicians' tweets about the COVID-19 efforts, TechCrunch and Indian media reported on Friday. The government asked Twitter to remove the tags from "fairness and fairness," saying that applying the stickers was affecting the platform's image as being "neutral and impartial."
The government sent the notice to Twitter two days after applying the "tampered media" poster to a tweet written by Sambit Patra, of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In the tweet, which appears to have been deleted (it is not clear whether Twitter removed it or if Batra deleted it itself), Patra said that the opposition Congress Party had used a "toolkit" in attempts to sabotage the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The BJP accuses the Congress of creating a toolkit to harm Prime Minister Narendra Modi, The Times of India explains, but the Congress claims that the toolkit version published by the BJP is a fake version of a research note on an unrelated project. . India's fact-checking organization Alt News has found images of the so-called "COVID Toolkit" that Patra and others have tweeted containing some fake information.
According to the Indian news site The News Minute, Patra's tweet reads: “Friends look to #CongressToolKit in providing assistance to those in need during a pandemic! More than a PR exercise with the help of friendly and influential journalists rather than a spiritual endeavor. Read for yourself the conference agenda.”
Twitter introduced its manipulative media policy last year
Twitter declined to comment Friday. The platform presented its tampered media policy last February, which applies to media that "have been manipulated or fabricated in a large and deceptive manner." Video clips or images that have been altered to change their meaning or context may be classified according to the rules, and false content submitted as real or content that proves to be “likely to affect public safety or cause serious harm” can be completely removed.
Several of the tweets posted by former US President Donald Trump, who has since been banned from Twitter, received the media tag that was tampered with last year.
Twitter has grappled with domestic legal requirements in India, particularly with regard to content about the coronavirus pandemic. Late last month, the platform removed more than 50 tweets critical of the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic there, at the government's request. The accounts subjected to control included a member of parliament and other prominent personalities.
During farmers' protests in India in February, Twitter permanently blocked more than 500 accounts and removed others from appearing in the country. At the time, the Indian government issued a notice of non-compliance with Twitter, which could mean a prison sentence for Twitter employees in India if the company refuses to do so.
According to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center, India reported 259,551 new cases of COVID-19 and 4,209 new deaths on Friday.
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