Social media is coming under fire in the nation of India as a major debate rages on with regard to free access to information.
With China having already taken action to intensely restrict access to the likes of Google, Facebook and Twitter, there is talk that India may be next to do the same.
India would seem an unlikely country to crack down on the free flow of information, but the government fears it has become a threat to national security and has warned Twitter of “appropriate and suitable action” if it doesn’t close 20 accounts that it believes have spread scare-mongering stories.
According to Fox News, the Indian government had already blocked more than 200 web pages that stand accused of having “incited communal violence in the northeast of the country where fighting between Muslim settlers and local tribal group in the state of Assam.”
But with Twitter coming centrally into focus amidst this debate, the platform – which has roughly 16 million users in India – could be restricted or blocked altogether. Reports out of India maintain that Twitter accounts belonging to several journalists have already been blocked.
“We understand that the government wants to stop the circulation of incendiary material that may inflame passions, but should it be blocking news and opinions on the subject?” Raghavan Jagannathan, a news editor in India, says. “I am not sure the decisions are well-thought-out.”
