The Parliamentary Panel for Communication and Information Technology in India has refused to discuss allegations made by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who claimed that the Indian government had threatened to shut down Twitter in the country during the farmers’ protests in 2020. According to reports, the BJP MP and chairman of the committee refused to discuss the allegation, saying that a foreigner’s version should not be taken seriously. A few opposition lawmakers tried to raise the matter, but were asked to refrain from doing so as it wasn’t on the agenda.
Dorsey claimed in an interview that India had made many requests around the farmers’ protests and critical journalists, and that the government threatened to raid the homes of Twitter employees and shut down their offices if they didn’t comply. However, the parliamentary committee’s agenda for the day focused on Citizens’ data security and privacy, and the issue wasn’t on the agenda for deliberations.
The committee consists of 31 members from various political parties. The former Twitter CEO’s comments were met with mixed responses from Indian officials, with some condemning the alleged threats while others dismissed them as baseless. The issue of social media regulation has been a contentious one in India in recent years, with the government introducing new guidelines earlier this year.
