Jack Dorsey Exposes India’s Pressure Tactics on Twitter over Farmers’ Protests and Dissenting Voices

Former CEO and co-founder of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, has made some startling revelations about the Indian government’s requests and threats to the social media platform during the farmers’ protest that rocked the country in 2020 and 2021. In an interview with the YouTube channel Breaking Points on June 12, Dorsey claimed that the government asked Twitter to take down accounts of farmers, activists and journalists who were critical of the Centre, and warned of shutting down Twitter in India, raiding its employees’ homes and offices if it did not comply.

The Farmers’ Protest and Twitter’s Role

The farmers’ protest in India was a massive movement that started in November 2020, when thousands of farmers from different states marched to the national capital, Delhi, to demand the repeal of three farm laws passed by the Parliament. The laws aimed to deregulate the agricultural sector and allow private players to enter the market, but the farmers feared that they would lose their bargaining power and livelihoods.

The protest gained international attention and support from celebrities, activists, and politicians across the world, who expressed their solidarity with the farmers on social media platforms like Twitter. Twitter became a key tool for the protesters to mobilize, communicate and spread awareness about their cause.

However, Twitter also faced backlash from the Indian government, which accused it of spreading misinformation, inciting violence, and undermining the sovereignty of the country. The government issued several legal notices to Twitter, asking it to remove or block hundreds of accounts that were allegedly linked to Khalistan sympathizers or backed by Pakistan. Twitter initially complied with some of the requests, but later restored some of the accounts, citing public interest and freedom of expression.

"Indian govt told Twitter to black out farmers protests&tweets by journalists critical of the govt. Threatened to shut Twitter down in India&raid the homes of Twitter employees, which they did. And India is supposed to be a democratic country!": Jack Dorsey, former CEO of Twitter pic.twitter.com/UDaBw92GBq

— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) June 12, 2023

Dorsey’s allegations and the government’s response

Dorsey, who stepped down as Twitter’s CEO in November 2022, said that he faced immense pressure from the Indian government during his tenure. He said that India was a country that had many requests of Twitter around the farmers’ protest, around particular journalists that were critical of the government, and it manifested in ways such as ‘we will shut Twitter down in India,’ which is a very large market for us; ‘we will raid the homes of your employees,’ which they did; ‘we will shut down your offices if you don’t follow suit,’ and this is India, a democratic country.

He compared his experience in India to other countries like Turkey, which he said was very similar. He also mentioned that he received requests from other governments like China, Russia and Saudi Arabia, but they were more subtle and indirect.

The Indian government has strongly denied Dorsey’s allegations, calling them outright lies and false. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology, tweeted that Dorsey’s Twitter regime had difficulty accepting the sovereignty of Indian law. He said that no one was raided or sent to jail, and the focus was on ensuring compliance with Indian laws.

Chandrasekhar also accused Dorsey’s Twitter regime of being a repeat violator of Indian law from 2020 to 2022, only finally complying in June 2022. He said that Twitter had a problem removing misinformation from its platform in India, especially during the farmers’ protest. He highlighted the level of partisan behavior and misuse of power on Twitter during that period.

The Implications and Challenges for Twitter in India

Dorsey’s interview has reignited the debate over the role and responsibility of social media platforms like Twitter in India, which is one of its largest and fastest-growing markets. Twitter has been at loggerheads with the Indian government over various issues, such as its compliance with the new IT rules that require it to appoint local officers and follow certain guidelines for content moderation.

Twitter has also faced legal challenges and police cases for its actions or inactions on various matters, such as showing an incorrect map of India on its website, marking tweets by ruling party leaders as manipulated media, or failing to act against hate speech and incitement.

Twitter has maintained that it is committed to serving the public conversation in India and respecting its laws. However, it has also asserted its right to defend the free expression and privacy rights of its users. It has said that it will continue to advocate for changes in core elements of the new IT rules that inhibit free expression and open internet.

Twitter’s dilemma in India reflects the broader challenges that social media platforms face in balancing their global values and policies with local laws and sensitivities. As more governments seek to regulate online content and activity, Twitter and other platforms will have to navigate the complex and often conflicting demands of different stakeholders, while also protecting their users’ rights and interests.