Twitter website displays wrong Indian map. Government may take action
The Twitter website is carrying a wrong map of India, showing the northernmost union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as a separate country. The error has triggered many angry reactions from Indian users on social media. Now, the Indian government is likely to take action against the company over this issue, thereby intensifying their months-long feud.
IT Ministry is looking into the matter
The erroneous map is available on the Twitter website under the careers section on a page titled "Tweep Life." The Ministry of Electronics and Information has already started looking into the matter, an official familiar with the matter said today, according to Hindustan Times. Sources cited by NDTV listed several tough measures that the government could take against the company.
What action can be taken against Twitter?
Twitter could be looking at financial penalties or even blockade under Section 69A of Information Technology rules. Moreover, the company's officials could face up to seven years in jail over the distorted map, sources told NDTV.
Last year too, Twitter had displayed wrong Indian map
This is not the first time that Twitter has misrepresented the map of India. In October last year, the Indian government had written to company CEO Jack Dorsey after Twitter, in a map, showed Leh as a part of China. The government had asked the company to furnish an explanation over the erroneous map. Twitter later resolved that issue.
Twitter already involved in tussle with Indian government
The latest map fiasco has come at a time when Twitter is already involved in a bitter tussle with the Indian government over the new IT rules. Quite recently, Twitter reportedly lost its legal cover in India over non-compliance of the government-mandated guidelines. After that, a police case was registered against the company and its Managing Director was summoned for questioning by the police.
Twitter's grievance officer has quit amid the row
In further escalation to the feud, Union IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's Twitter account was last week locked for around one hour over alleged copyright violations. On Sunday, Twitter's grievance officer Dharmendra Chatur resigned from the post, just weeks after his joining. Thereafter, the company appointed a US-based employee for the role, however, that is not in line with the new IT rules.
