Congress says Twitter has locked its account; company defends decision

The Congress party said on Thursday Twitter has locked its account in response to a post it made on August 8, prompting the social media company to say its rules forbid the identity of a rape victim to be revealed.

The Congress used its Instagram account to share a screenshot of its locked Twitter account. “Modi ji, just how afraid are you? Reminder: The Congress party fought for our nation’s independence, equipped only with truth, non-violence & the will of the people.

We won then, we’ll win again,” said the party, referring to the Prime Minister.

The Congress claimed its handle and around 5,000 of its leaders and workers were locked, marking an escalation with the government over free speech.

“You may not publish or post other people’s private information without their express authorisation and permission,” the Congress’s Instagram post quoted a Twitter message as saying why the party’s handle had been blocked.

Twitter on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court that it has deleted a post by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that had a photograph of the parents of a nine-year-old Dalit girl, who was allegedly raped and killed in Delhi earlier in August.

“We have taken proactive action on several hundred Tweets that posted an image that violated our Rules, and may continue to do so in line with our range of enforcement options. Certain types of private information carry higher risks than others, and our aim is always to protect individuals’ privacy and safety,” said a Twitter spokesperson today.

“We strongly encourage everyone on the service to familiarise themselves with the Twitter Rules and report anything they believe is in violation,” said the spokesperson.

According to Twitter, it was alerted by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights about specific content on the platform that allegedly revealed the identity of an alleged sexual assault victim.

Twitter temporarily blocked Ravi Shankar Prasad, the former Information Technology minister, in June for allegedly violating copyright rules in an old tweet.