Twitter India officials were questioned by the parliamentary Joint Committee.
New Delhi:
Twitter’s explanation for showing Ladakh as a part of China is “inadequate”, a panel on MPs on data protection said today after questioning the microblogging site.
Twitter India officials were questioned by the parliamentary Joint Committee on Data protection after outrage over the social media platform’s location settings showing Leh as part of China.
The Committee was unanimous in its opinion that Twitter’s explanation was inadequate, the panel’s chairman Meenakshi Lekhi told NDTV.
“Showing Ladakh as part of China amounts to a criminal offence which can attract jail for up to seven years,” the BJP MP said.
Twitter officials told the committee that the platform respects the sensitivities of India on this issue, Ms Lekhi said, adding, “But this is inadequate. It is not just a question of sensitivity. It is against the sovereignty and integrity of India.”
There was anger after the geo-location of Leh, which is the headquarters of the union territory of Ladakh, was shown on Twitter as part of China. Leh is the largest town in Ladakh.
Earlier, the government had sternly told Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey that Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir are “integral and inalienable parts of India governed by the Constitution of India”.
The government expressed its disapproval of the “misrepresentation of map of India” and asked the company to “respect sensitivities of Indian citizens”, according to sources.
The government, sources added, conveyed to Twitter that any attempt by the social media giant to “disrespect sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable” and “unlawful”.
“…such attempts not only brings disrepute to Twitter but also raises questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary,” IT Secretary Ajay Sawhney said in the letter, according to sources.
