India's Social Media Rules Are Quite Strict, Says Elon Musk Musk also stated that he understood that there were laws in India that governed what could appear on social media platforms and that he could not go beyond those laws
By Teena Jose
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Billionaire Twitter CEO Elon Musk has recently said that India's rules for social media platforms are "quite strict" and that he would rather comply with the government's blocking orders than risk sending Twitter employees to jail. The statement comes during an interview with a journalist from BBC that took place on Twitter Spaces.
Musk was possibly referring to India's Information Technology Rules, 2021, under which a senior representative of social media companies – called the chief compliance officer – can be potentially jailed for violating the norms. The IT Rules, which came into effect on February 25, 2021, require social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and WhatsApp to appoint a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person, and a resident grievance officer to handle user complaints. They also require companies to remove content within 36 hours of a legal order and to provide information about the originator of a message or post if requested by authorities.
Moreover, Musk also stated that he understood that there were laws in India that governed what could appear on social media platforms and that he could not go beyond those laws.
Also being asked about the platform complying with the government's order to take down links of a BBC documentary which critically examined Prime Minister Narendra Modi's role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, Musk said he was "not sure" about it.
Musk, who acquired Twitter for a massive $44 billion last year, also said that he would sell the company if the right person came along.
