Officials from Twitter India were questioned by the Parliamentary Joint Committee.
Highlight
- “Showing Ladakh as part of China is a crime”: Panel
- BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi is the head of the panel
- The government had previously expressed its disapproval
New Delhi:
Twitter’s explanation for showing Ladakh as part of China is “inappropriate” for what amounts to a crime, a panel of parliamentarians said today after questioning officials from the microblogging site.
Officials at Twitter India were questioned by the Parliamentary Joint Committee examining the Personal Data Protection Bill after outrage over the social media platform’s location setting showing Leh as part of China.
The committee was unanimous in its view that Twitter’s explanation was inadequate, panel chair Meenakshi Lekhi told NDTV.
“Showing Ladakh as part of China amounts to a crime that can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years,” said the BJP deputy.
Twitter officials told the committee that the platform respects India’s sensitivity on this issue, Lekhi said, adding: “But this is inappropriate. It is not just a matter of sensitivity. It goes against the sovereignty and integrity of India.”
There was anger after the geographic location of Leh, which is the seat of the Ladakh union territory, was shown on Twitter as part of China. Leh is the largest city in Ladakh.
A Twitter spokesperson said at the meeting: “Our teams quickly resolved the recent geotagging issue. We are committed to openness, transparency around our work and will stay in regular contact with the government to share timely updates.”
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 disapproval of the “misrepresentation of the map of India” and asked the company to “respect the sensitivity of Indian citizens,” according to sources.
The government, the sources added, relayed to Twitter that any attempt by the social media giant to “disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected on the maps, is totally unacceptable” and “illegal.”
“Such attempts not only discredit Twitter, but also raise questions about its neutrality and fairness as an intermediary,” TI Secretary Ajay Sawhney said in the letter.
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