Twitter is blocking access to some important accounts in its domain due to what it called legal requests. The block is noticed mostly in India but purports to have happened in other areas of the globe.
According to TechCrunch, the social media giant blocked access to over a dozen high-profile Indian Twitter accounts in compliance to a request that may have been a local demand. The move by Twitter to block these accounts sparked outrage among users, and they promptly sought an explanation for Twitter’s move.
Probably, Twitter is seeking to block access to the free flow of information, says some of the platform’s users. That may not be completely out of the question, because one of the accounts that were blocked belongs to Caravan, an investigative journalism outlet in the country.
Others that were blocked included that of political commentator, Sanjukta Basu, activist Hansraj Meena, actor Sushant Singh, and Shashi Shekhar Vempati, and other top-notched accounts like those were also blocked. Even the accounts of those who govern the National Capital Territory of Delhi were also blocked.
While it appears that these accounts may have done nothing wrong to be blocked by Twitter, it is also noticeable that two other popular accounts that were used for recent protests were also blocked. These are Kisan Ekta Morcha, and Tractor2Twitr. Farmers recently used these accounts to fuel protests in the land.
A prominent Twitter verified user tweeted that the reputable accounts were apparently blocked because they have been used to criticize the government’s treatment of farmers.
While it was clear that Indian authorities issued commands for the blockage of those accounts, there was no clear reason why the action is taken.
Statement from Twitter states clearly that if the organization receives any request from an authorized entity, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in a particular country from time to time.
