World #1 – Twitter censors tweets critical of India’s COVID response

Tuesday's World Events   —   Posted on April 27, 2021

(by Dharvi Vaid, Germany’s DW news – Deutsche Welle) — Twitter on Saturday said it took down dozens of tweets in India that were critical of the Indian government’s recent pandemic response, as a second wave of COVID infections continues to bring the country’s healthcare system to its knees.

The number of new COVID infections in India is currently setting records nearly every day. Images of mass cremations for COVID victims are being shared on social media, along with criticism of the Modi government.

Over 20 tweets, some from Indian lawmakers, were reportedly withheld from public view in India in response to a request by the central government to the social media giant.

The government made the request on April 23, and it was disclosed by Lumen Database, an online transparency project run by Harvard University. Lumen said Indian authorities made the request under India’s Information Technology Act, which has drawn criticism as being a tool for censorship.

“When we receive a valid legal request, we review it under both the Twitter Rules and local law. If the content violates Twitter’s Rules, the content will be removed from the service. If it is determined to be illegal in a particular jurisdiction, but not in violation of the Twitter Rules, we may withhold access to the content in India only,” a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement.

The list of censored tweets includes several by parliamentarian Revanth Reddy from the opposition Congress party, West Bengal state minister Moloy Ghatak, and filmmakers Vinod Kapri and Avinash Das.

Many tweets denounced the Narendra Modi led-government for failing to bolster India’s crumbling healthcare system.

Hospitals across the country are running out of beds, oxygen and medicines, and people are turning to social media with frantic calls for help.

Author Pieter Friedrich said his tweet slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi was taken down in India, but was still available elsewhere.

“The reality of #India under the #Modi regime. At least the healthcare is free? #COVIDSecondWaveInIndia #IndiaFightsCorona #ModiFailsIndia #ModiResign,” he wrote in the offending tweet, alongside a photo of a woman sitting on the street with what appears to be a ventilator over her face.

Other tweets questioned the decision by Modi’s government to hold election rallies and the Hindu religious gathering Kumbh Mela as COVID cases continued to soar.

A tweet by parliamentarian Revanth Reddy, which is blocked in India, carried the hashtag: #ModiMadeDisaster

CNN reported on April 12 that millions of pilgrims traveled to Haridwar, in northern India, on April 12 for the largest religious pilgrimage on Earth, Hindu’s Kumbh Mela religious festival, which had been delayed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At the festival, devotees wash away their sins in the river’s sacred waters, which are believed to turn into “amrita” — the nectar of immortality — on auspicious days like Monday.

“Social distancing is proving very difficult,” police Insp. Gen. Sanjay Gunjyal said. “If we try to enforce it then it can lead to a stampede — that’s why, despite wanting to, we are unable to implement social distancing at these riverbanks.”

NPR reported April 21: “This wave hit us like a storm,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an address to the nation last night. It’s a storm that no one was prepared for.

Just two months ago, COVID-19 had all but disappeared here. Now social media is full of desperate pleas for oxygen tanks, antiviral drugs, even COVID tests.

Published at (Duetsche Well) DW .com on April 25, 2021. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.