India's attempt to police WhatsApp and Twitter sparks pushback

Broad state powers over content spell trouble for US social media platforms

20210329N India farm protests

Protests against controversial agricultural reforms in India have sparked a wave of Twitter posts criticizing the government. © Reuters

AKIRA HAYAKAWA, Nikkei staff writer

MUMBAI -- India's new restrictions designed to control public discourse on social platforms, including WhatsApp and Twitter, have sparked a backlash as concerns grow about the government scrutiny of online speech.

The sweeping rules, announced on Feb. 25, require "intermediaries" to delete or amend content deemed problematic. Critics are alarmed by the broad discretion given to the government to determine what content is troublesome.

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