Hours after social media giant Twitter announced that it was banning United States President Donald Trump from its platform, citing "risk of further incitement of violence," Member of Parliament (MP) from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya, said that it was a threat to democracy. "This must be a wake up call for all who don’t yet understand the threat to our democracies by unregulated big tech companies. If they can do this to POTUS, they can do this to anyone. Sooner India reviews intermediaries regulations, better for our democracy," the BJP MP tweeted.
This must be wake up call for all who don’t yet understand threat to our democracies by unregulated big tech companies.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) January 9, 2021
If they can do this to POTUS, they can do this to anyone.
Sooner India reviews intermediaries regulations, better for our democracy.@GoI_MeitY https://t.co/SWzaBfycJ8
Meanwhile, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also said that he was against social media platforms' move to ban Trump over his inciteful posts. "Deplatforming Donald Trump, a sitting US president, sets a dangerous precedent. It has less to do with his views and more to do with intolerance for a differing point. Ironically, those who claim to champion free speech are celebrating. Big tech firms are now the new oligarchs," he tweeted.
Deplatforming Donald Trump, a sitting US president, sets a dangerous precedent.
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) January 9, 2021
It has less to do with his views and more to do with intolerance for a differing point. Ironically, those who claim to champion free speech are celebrating.
Big tech firms are now the new oligarchs.
The Twitter ban on Donald Trump came two days after a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol, hoping to stop the certification of Joe Biden's election victory. "After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them, specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter, we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence," Twitter had said in a statement.
The ban from Twitter came shortly after Facebook and Instagram also temporarily suspended Donald Trump from their platforms for a period of two weeks, till Joe Biden took over as US President.
In an "overview", Twitter called out two of Trump tweets from January 8 and then went on to explain the context of the ban. The first tweet said, "The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!(sic)." The second tweet said, "To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20."
Twitter said that both these tweets need to be seen in the "context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President's statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behaviour from this account in recent weeks." Twitter justified the Trump ban saying its language went against "our Glorification of Violence policy".
Twitter reportedly also picked up chatter on its platform of another possible attack being planned on the Capitol later this month, days before inauguration day on January 20.
Late on January 6, Trump was locked out of his account for 12 hours after a violent mob stormed the US Capitol. On the same afternoon, Trump posted a video on Twitter calling his supporters "very special" people and repeating claims of election fraud without offering any conclusive evidence. Five people, including a Capitol Police officer, are reported dead after the violence on January 6.
With IANS inputs