Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter last month has created confusion and apprehension about the future of the social media platform. India has already had several run-ins with the company in recent years due to the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s many content takedown notices. The world’s richest man’s takeover will no doubt mark another shift in New Delhi’s relationship with the tech giant—but how?
The Tesla CEO’s comments suggest that the self-proclaimed “free speech absolutist” will make things a lot more challenging for the Indian government, as he has promised to hold up the edicts of free speech to the greatest extent possible.
“Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission,” he tweeted on 7 November, adding five minutes later: “My commitment to free speech extends even to not banning the account following my plane, even though that is a direct personal safety risk.” In this regard, the magnate has pledged to make the social media platform “a common digital town square, where a wide range of beliefs can be debated in a healthy manner.”
These comments have generated uncertainty about the limits that will be placed on content moderation and how effectively the Indian government will be able to flag misinformation.
In fact, Musk has assured that previously suspended accounts will be allowed back on the platform, impeding New Delhi’s ability to curb dissent and opposition.
Last February, the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) forced the company to suspend hundreds of local accounts, including those belonging to news websites and activists, based on the accusation that they were inciting violence. The move came in the aftermath of the weeks-long farmers’ protests against the now-withdrawn farm bill. Although the suspension lasted only around 12 hours, the government’s power over the company was made clear.
Following this encroachment on free speech, the BJP allegedly applied the same tactic later that year in August and had Twitter suspend the accounts of thousands of members of the Indian National Congress, its main opposition. Congress claimed that the party’s official Twitter handle, as well as around 5,000 of its leaders and workers, had been locked out of the platform.
New amended IT rules are next step to realizing our govts duty to #DigitalNagriks of Open, Safe&Trusted, Accountable Internet
— Rajeev Chandrasekhar 🇮🇳 (@Rajeev_GoI) October 28, 2022
Also marks a new partnership btwn Govt and Intermediaries in making n keeping our Internet safe & trusted for all Indians.#IndiaTechade #OSTA pic.twitter.com/COQhGOHv5D
“Modiji, just how afraid are you? Reminder: The Congress party fought for our nation’s independence, equipped only with truth, non-violence & the will of the people. We won then, we’ll win again,” Congress said on its official Instagram account.
However, the lack of checks and balances could also impact government sympathisers and create a situation in which the government is no longer able to effectively manage and control societal divisions, potentially leading to violent confrontations between citizens belonging to different groups and from different ends of the political spectrum. For example, immediately following Musk’s takeover, there was an at least 500% increase in hate speech on the platform in the United States.
Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut, who was banned from Twitter last year for repeatedly engaging in hateful conduct and abusive behaviour, has hailed Musk’s takeover on her Instagram account. A fanatic supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Ranaut assured her supporters during a recent event for Aaj Tak that if she returns to the platform that instituted a lifetime ban on her, “then people’s lives will become sensational.” “I’m happy that I’m not there on Twitter. But if my account is revived, then definitely... you will get a lot of ‘masala’,” she said.
Although Musk’s comments hint that he will loosen the noose around freedom of speech on the platform, he will no doubt be aware of the need to pacify both India’s citizens and its government. India accounts for 24.5 million Twitter users making it the microblogging website’s third-largest market after the United States (US) and Japan. Former Twitter India News Chief Raheel Khursheed, for instance, has said that while India “does not contribute a lot to Twitter’s bottom line revenue,” it is “an important user growth market.” Therefore, If the new CEO wants to retain this crucial market, it can be assumed that he will have to play by some of New Delhi’s rules.
New IT Rules are important and will have profound impact on intermediaries like @Twitter, @facebook, @YouTube, @Instagram, etc, making them accountable to users and Government of #India
— Kanchan Gupta 🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) October 28, 2022
They mark the end of rules framed by Big Tech Raj which see itself as above sovereign laws.
Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Electronics and Information Technology of India Rajeev Chandrasekhar has already hinted at how the government plans on dealing with this change. The minister told Reuters: “Our rules and laws for intermediaries remain the same regardless of who owns the platforms. So, the expectation of compliance with Indian laws and rules remains.”
The Indian government’s concerns about Twitter’s compliance with Indian laws and rules will no doubt be amplified by the company’s decision to fire 90% of its staff in the country, which has drawn into question how it can continue to claim to be an effective and trustworthy intermediary for content in India with just around 12 staff. The mass layoffs undermine its ability to oversee and moderate content and could leave important decisions up to employees outside the country who may not have as keen an understanding of local issues.
In fact, India is not alone in instituting such protective measures. The European Union has introduced the Digital Services Act, which aims to ensure that there exist some bounds to freedom of speech online. “In Europe, the bird will fly by our European rules,” tweeted EU industry chief Thierry Breton.
Musk has already hinted that he may have to scale back his initial vision, admitting that Twitter will do lots of “dumb things” in the months to come and will change whatever doesn’t work. Meanwhile, with its ban on TikTok in 2020, the Indian government showed that it will not shy away from banning high-profile social media platforms when it deems national security to be at risk. Therefore, given that he has already complained about how the company is losing $4 million a day, Musk will no doubt be forced to re-evaluate how to keep hold of such a crucial market as India, even if that means ceding some control to the government.