Twitter Yields, Blocks Access to Hundreds of India Accounts
Farmers at a demonstration in Ghazipur on the outskirts of New Delhi, on Feb. 6.
Photographer: Anindito Mukherjee/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Twitter Inc. has permanently suspended more than 500 accounts and blocked access to hundreds of others within India, the company said on Wednesday, acceding to the government’s order to restrain the spread of misinformation and inflammatory content related to the farmers’ protest.
The social media giant had earlier been in a standoff with the India government, disagreeing with some blocking orders from regulators and citing “open and free exchange of information,” but backed down after receiving a non-compliance notice. Flouting the government’s orders attracts stringent penalties including potential jail terms.