Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Al Mayadeen correspondent: One civilian martyred, another injured by Saudi Arabia's armed forces in Saada, Yemen.
The Turkish authorities have banned media from broadcasting at the scene of an attempted terrorist attack that hit the capital near Parliament earlier.
An explosion and gunfire heard in Turkey’s capital Ankara near the parliament and the ministries.
US House 45-day stopgap funding bill with no aid for Ukraine gets enough votes.
Armenia quickly denied the allegations of killing an Azerbaijani soldier, saying the claim its forces had opened fire on Azerbaijani positions "does not correspond to reality".
Azerbaijan says a soldier was killed by a sniper on the Armenian border.
White House: The US is monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the border of Kosovo that is causing tensions.
White House: Serbia and Kosovo must fulfill their commitments and avoid taking any provocative steps.
White House spokesperson John Kirby urges Serbia to withdraw its forces from its borders with Kosovo.
Hezbollah condemns terrorist blasts carried out against worshippers in Pakistan.

Twitter accused of mass censorship on anti-Modi rhetoric in India

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 5 Apr 2023 10:45
  • x

Twitter is accused of collaborating with the Indian government to impose an unprecedented broad crackdown on Modi's critics.

  • This photo shows Twitter’s logo. (AP)
    This photo shows Twitter’s logo. (AP)

In India, Twitter has been under fire for caving into political pressure by recently removing from its platform the accounts of a large number of well-known journalists, politicians, and activists.

The Indian government sent notifications to Twitter to remove people in the aftermath of an internet blackout across the northern state of Punjab, during a manhunt for a local Sikh nationalist leader, Amritpal Singh. 

The Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh, the Canadian poet Rupi Kaur, several journalists, and an Indian MP are among the more than 120 accounts that Twitter has agreed to remove. The BBC's Punjabi bureau's handle was also disabled on Twitter.

Read next: Snowden as Musk takes Twitter: Censorship had gone too far

On March 21, Twitter sent Jaskaran Sandhu, a co-founder of the Sikh diaspora-focused Baaz News in Toronto, an email informing him that his account had been blocked in India. No specific tweet or activity by Sandhu was mentioned by Twitter in the email, which was obtained by The Guardian.

“The Indian government has made it a norm to take draconian measures and crack down on dissent coming from Sikh or other minority communities,” Sandhu said. “Twitter’s actions are just another example [that imply] civil liberties and democratic rights are under attack.”

“My entire account, not any tweet, has been banned in India. It is blanket censorship. And there is absolute silence from Twitter on this.”

The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been charged with "pushing India toward authoritarianism" by the US-based NGO Freedom House, which lowered India's status from "free" to "partly free" in 2021.

Related News

Pro-China candidate wins Maldives elections

Russia-India payments up 5 times in 2023: Sberbank

Elon Musk, who took over Twitter in October and declares himself a "free speech absolutist," tweeted in response to a tweet concerning censorship in India, "It is not possible for me to solve every aspect of Twitter worldwide tomorrow, while simultaneously running Tesla and SpaceX, among other things."

Since traditional media outlets mainly gave in to pressure from the government to follow its position, social media platforms, such as Twitter, were considered among the few remaining platforms for Indians to express their dissent.

Most of the content being blocked, according to Prateek Waghre, policy director of the Internet Freedom Fund, was news coverage that did not favorably portray the administration. 

"There is no contention. It is just absurd,” he added.

According to reports, Musk has reduced Twitter's employment in India by 90% since taking over. It's uncertain whether Twitter still employs individuals to review these requests, Waghre added. 

“The question is also on the willingness of a pushback, which has certainly reduced [since Musk takeover],” he said.

The situation is "very grim", according to Raqib Hameed Naik, the creator of Hindutva Watch, a US-based website that monitors hate crimes in India.

“Big tech has completely surrendered to the authoritarian regime of PM Narendra Modi,” he said. “Twitter’s conduct in India sets a worrying trend of silencing media, critics, and dissenters worldwide.”

The hard-right Hindu nationalist government of India has long been condemned for ignoring the rights of minorities, most notably Muslims, through state-sponsored surveillance and internet blackouts. 

Read next: What's behind Indian extremists’ anti-Muslim theory?

  • India
  • Modi
  • Twitter
  • censorship

Most Read

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

  • Europe
  • 28 Sep 2023
Zelensky joins Canadian Parliament’s ovation to WWII Nazi soldier

Zelensky joins Canadian Parliament’s ovation to WWII Nazi soldier

  • US & Canada
  • 25 Sep 2023
How Hezbollah Burnt the Naqab Forest, The Abbassiye Landing Operation

Al Mayadeen documentary: How Hezbollah burnt the IOF's Naqab Forest

  • MENA
  • 24 Sep 2023
Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

  • Analysis
  • 30 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
Morocco & Libya Disasters

Read Next

All
US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Europe

'Not 1 more cent': Americans are done with funding Ukraine's paychecks

baykar
MENA

Baykar to invest $100mln in three Ukrainian projects, CEO says

The new Iranian destroyer Sahand sails in Gulf waters, in Bandar Abbas, Iran, on December 1, 2018 (Iranian Army via AP)
MENA

Iran navy commander unveils plans for Antarctic permanent presence

The Capitol in Washington, Monday, Sept. 30, 2013, as the government teeters on the brink of a partial shutdown at midnight unless Congress can reach an agreement on funding. (AP)
US & Canada

US government hours from shutdown, funding chaos

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS