Twitter submitted a verbal apology to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up to review the data protection bill after Leh was shown as part of China during a live broadcast, according to the ANI news agency. The panel had shown strong disgust and asked Twitter to submit a written apology and provide an affidavit on the matter.
The controversy came to light last week when a journalist started a live Twitter feed from a war memorial in Leh and noticed that the location read the People’s Republic of China. It also prompted the secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to write to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to express the government’s disapproval of the move.
On Wednesday, the JPC criticized Twitter representatives for portraying Leh as part of China, saying it amounts to an act of treason. It has also raised legal issues in relation to data protection. The committee also took into account cases of shadow ban, arbitrary account deletion, lack of accountability and transparency when it comes to policies and data transfers and the location of data centers.
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“The presentation of Leh as part of China can be interpreted as an act of treason and is punishable by up to seven years in prison. The committee was unanimous in raising the issue and voiced its severe disapproval, “committee chair Meenakshi Lekhi told the Hindustan Times.
However, Twitter had said it quickly resolved the issue. “Our teams quickly resolved the recent geotagging problem. We are committed to openness, transparency around our work and we will stay in regular contact with the government to share timely updates, ”Twitter said in response to HT. It added that privacy and data protection are at the core of its products.
“We are grateful to the Parliamentary Commission for giving us the opportunity to share our views on the bill on the protection of personal data. Privacy and data protection are at the core of our products and services that are designed to earn the trust of the people who use them, ”said Twitter. “Our goal is to work with governments around the world, including India, to develop a forward-looking regulatory approach that is practical, realistic, feasible to implement, and takes into account the long-term impact on the broader digital ecosystem. protecting the open Internet and universal access. “
(With contributions from the agency)
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