Twitter Faces New Headaches in India After Police Complaint Over Controversial Maps

Lucknow, India, Jun 29 (Reuters) – A Hindu group has filed a police complaint against the country’s head of Twitter (twitter.N) after images of the politically sensitive region were shown off the map. of India on the website cause a new investigation A headache for US tech companies.

A map on the Twitter Careers page shows the Jammu and Kashmir region. which both India and Pakistan claim. including the Ladakh region outside India. Which caused an uproar on social media this week. Amid the strained relationship between Twitter and New Delhi over the company’s compliance with India’s new IT regulations.

The complaint alleges that Manish Maheshwari, the head of India’s Twitter and another company executive, violated the country’s IT rules. including laws designed to prevent hostility and hatred between classes.

“This hurts the feelings of me and the people of India,” Praveen Bhati, leader of the Bajrang Dal group in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, said in a complaint reviewed by Reuters. betray

Twitter did not respond to a request for comment. on tuesday The map no longer appears on the website.

Maheshwari was summoned only this month by police in Uttar Pradesh. For failing to stop the spread of the video allegedly inciting religious discord, Maheshwari received a waiver from the court in that case.

Indian Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad criticized Twitter for failing to comply with new Indian regulations. and denied access to his Twitter account.

In order to comply with the rules that went into effect in May, companies like Twitter must appoint a chief compliance officer. Complaint Officer and another executive who will coordinate with law enforcement and government on legal requests. Job postings on LinkedIn show 3 job openings on Twitter.

A top government official has previously told Reuters that Twitter may no longer have the right to seek a liability waiver as an intermediary or host of user content in India. due to non-compliance with the new IT rules The activist said It is a matter for the court to decide.

Last year, the head of the Indian Parliament committee accused Twitter of disrespecting New Delhi’s sovereignty. After map data showed that the Indian-ruled territory was part of China in what the social media firm said was a quick fix.

Rising tensions with New Delhi have led major US tech companies Discouraged about the opportunity for their largest growth market. So much so that some people are rethinking their business expansion plans.

Reporting by Saurabh Sharma; Written by Sankapp Patiyal; Editing by Edwina Gibbs

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