Twitter will lose its intermediary status if it does not comply with the new IT rules by July 4

• The government has reportedly warned Twitter that it must comply with the latest IT Rules by July 4.
• This comes after Twitter failed to comply with two content take-down notices issued in June.
• Twitter may lose its intermediary status if it does not comply with IT Rules.

The Indian government has reportedly come down heavily on social media platform Twitter. However, the government has given Twitter one last opportunity to comply with the new Information Technology (IT) rules.

According to a report by Economic Times, the government has warned Twitter that it will lose its intermediary status if it does not comply with the country’s IT rules.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has taken this step as Twitter has repeatedly failed to comply with content take-down notices issued under the IT Act.

This is due to “repeated failures to act on the content take-down notices sent under Section 69 A of the IT Act,” an official familiar with the matter told ET. The government, in its notice, has mentioned that Twitter failed to comply with notices sent on June 6 and 9.

“Despite repeated notices and chances being given to them to act, Twitter remains in violation. Therefore, appropriate action is being taken. All intermediaries that operate in India must follow the IT Rules in letter and spirit,” a senior official added.

MeitY has also warned Twitter that if it continues to violate the IT Rules, it will have to face significant consequences under the IT Act, including the loss of immunity available to intermediaries.

“If Twitter Inc. continues to be in violation of these Directions and therefore the IT Act, significant consequences under the IT Act shall prevail.” Consequences may include “loss of immunity as available (to) an intermediary under subsection (1) of section 79 of the IT Act and (will be) liable to punishment to offenses as prescribed in the IT Act 2000.”

What is an intermediary?

The amended IT Rules have granted social media platforms the tag of intermediaries. These companies must appoint a compliance officer responsible for ensuring compliance with the IT Rules. In addition, the intermediaries must take down posts for which a notice has been received within 24 hours.

If the company loses its intermediary status, it will be equally responsible for unlawful content posted on its platform as the person who has posted it.

Do note that this is not the first time the Indian government has threatened Twitter about it losing its intermediary status. In June 2021, the government warned the social media giant.

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