The refusal of various technology companies to hand over data to the Indian government could have consequences for their employees. According to a report shared by The Wall Street Journal, the authorities of that country have threatened to jail employees of Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp if companies do not provide data on farmers’ protests.
WhatsApp, Twitter and Facebook face a tense situation in India
The Indian farmers have been protesting since late 2020 after the country passed agricultural reforms. The demonstrations are demanding the repeal of legislation that allowed farmers to sell directly to private buyers instead of selling to the government.
The protests have been one of the largest in history in India, with several acts of violence, arrests and the government’s decision to cut the internet for farmers.
Twitter restricted, and then quietly restored, accounts of journalists and activists who shared information about the protest. Later, the firm said that it suspended up to 500 accounts indicated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
Ravi Shankar, Minister of Justice and Technology, addressed the Indian parliament, regarding the performance of social networks during the protests.
“I kindly remind companies, be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or WhatsApp or anyone else, that they are free to work in India, do business, but they must respect the Indian Constitution”
According to The Wall Street Journal publication:
«The warnings are a direct response to tech companies’ reluctance to comply with data and government takedown requests related to Indian farmers’ protests that have made international headlines, people say. “
The same outlet shared the responses of both companies to the government’s requests. A spokesperson for WhatsApp said the company complies with data requests that are consistent with internationally recognized standards., including human rights, due process and the rule of law.
For his part, a spokesman for Facebook said the company “responds to government data requests in accordance with applicable law and our terms of service.”. However, and as for the direct threat of their employees, they have not offered statements.
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