INDIA. Mumbai: A day after Delhi Police registered an FIR against Twitter for allegedly allowing access to child pornography, National Commission for Women (NCW) on Wednesday directed the micro-blogging platform to remove “all pornographic and obscene” content within a week.
Taking suo moto cognizance of pornographic content on Twitter, NCW has given a week’s ultimatum to Twitter while instructing Delhi Police to investigate and take appropriate legal action against the social media giant.
On Tuesday, Delhi Police registered a case against Twitter for child pornographic content following a complaint by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The complaint was against Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India Private Ltd.
NCW Chairperson Rekha Sharma has written to Twitter India’s Managing Director Manish Maheshwari for the immediate removal of all such pornographic and obscene content from the Twitter platform within a week.
“The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of several profiles on Twitter sharing pornographic content,” the NCW said in a statement dated June 30, 2021. “The commission earlier upon receiving a similar complaint had brought the matter to Twitter’s notice for immediate action, however, no action was reportedly taken by the platform,” Sharma stated in the letter to the Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India Private Ltd. “The Commission is disturbed with the fact that despite knowing of the availability of such banned content which not only violates Indian laws but also Twitter’s policy, no action has been taken till date towards removing it,” it said.
“The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of several profiles on Twitter sharing pornographic content,” the NCW said in a statement dated June 30, 2021. “The commission earlier upon receiving a similar complaint had brought the matter to Twitter’s notice for immediate action, however, no action was reportedly taken by the platform,” Sharma stated in the letter to the Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India Private Ltd. “The Commission is disturbed with the fact that despite knowing of the availability of such banned content which not only violates Indian laws but also Twitter’s policy, no action has been taken till date towards removing it,” it said.
The Commission has shared with Twitter details of few profiles sharing pornographic content on its platform and has directed to remove all such content within one week. The callout by NCW comes amid an ongoing tussle between the Centre and Twitter over the new IT rules and according to officials the NCPCR complaint pertains to the alleged display of child pornographic content on the social media site.
The NCW was set up as a statutory body in January 1992 to review Constitutional and legal safeguards for women and advise the government on policy matters concerning women.
