Twitter and YouTube<\/u> censored a report critical of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in coordination with the government of India. Officials called for the Big Tech companies to take action against a BBC documentary exploring Modi\u2019s role in a genocidal 2002 massacre in the Indian state of Gujarat, which the officials deemed a \u201cpropaganda piece.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a series of posts, Kanchan Gupta, senior adviser at the Indian government\u2019s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, denounced the BBC documentary as \u201chostile propaganda and anti-India garbage.\u201d He said that both Twitter and YouTube had been ordered block links to the film, before adding that the platforms \u201chave complied with the directions.\u201d Gupta\u2019s statements coincided with posts from Twitter users in India who claimed to have shared links to the documentary but whose posts were later removed and replaced with a legal notice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has sent hundreds of requests to different social media platforms, especially YouTube and Twitter, to take down the posts that share snippets or links to the documentary,\u201d Indian journalist Raqib Hameed Naik told The Intercept. \u201cAnd shamefully, the companies are complying with their demands and have taken down numerous videos and posts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has sent hundreds of requests to different social media platforms, especially YouTube and Twitter, to take down the posts that share snippets or links to the documentary.\u201d<\/blockquote>\nThis act of censorship \u2014 wiping away allegations of crimes against humanity committed by a foreign leader \u2014 sets a worrying tone for Twitter, especially in light of its new management.<\/span><\/p>\n
Elon Musk\u2019s self-identification as a \u201cfree-speech absolutist\u201d has been a primary talking point for the billionaire as he has sought to explain why he took ownership of the platform last year. Much of his criticism of Twitter revolved around its decision to censor reporting around Hunter Biden, the son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\nWhile Musk has been glad to stand up to suppression of speech against conservatives in the United States \u2014 something that he has described as nothing less than \u201ca battle for the future of civilization\u201d\u00a0\u2014 he appears to be failing at the far graver challenge of standing up to the authoritarian demands of foreign governments. (Twitter\u2019s communications effort is now helmed by Musk, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)<\/p>\n
Pushing back against censorship of the BBC documentary, members of Parliament from the opposition All India Trinamool Congress party Mahua Moitra and Derek O\u2019Brien defiantly posted links to it online.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry, Haven\u2019t been elected to represent world\u2019s largest democracy to accept censorship,\u201d Moitra<\/a> posted<\/a>. \u201cHere\u2019s the link. Watch it while you can.\u201d Moitra\u2019s post is still up, but the link to the documentary no longer works. Moitra had posted a link to the Internet Archive, presumably hoping to get around the block of the BBC, but the Internet Archive subsequently took the link<\/a> down. She has since posted the audio version<\/a> on Telegram.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Brien\u2019s post was itself taken down.<\/p>\n
\n\nCENSORSHIP@Twitter<\/a> @TwitterIndia<\/a> HAS TAKEN DOWN MY TWEET of the #BBCDocumentary<\/a>, it received lakhs of views <\/p>\n
The 1 hr @BBC<\/a> docu exposes how PM @narendramodi<\/a> HATES MINORITIES<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s?the mail I recieved. Also see flimsy reason given. Oppn will continue to fight the good fight pic.twitter.com\/8lfR0XPViJ<\/a><\/p>\n
— Derek O'Brien | ????? ?'???????? (@derekobrienmp) January 21, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n