NEW DELHI – Twitter Inc. said it is re-implementing restrictions on some accounts in India after the government threatened legal action when the company refused to block hundreds of loops that New Delhi found to be inflammatory.
Twitter blocked identifiers last week at the government’s request, but later reversed its decision. After conducting an investigation, the company said accounts should be allowed.
The Indian government has threatened legal action that could result in a fine or imprisonment for Twitter executives charged with implementing government guidelines.
On Wednesday, Twitter said it would block most accounts again. Said on his blog that loops would be blocked only in India and would not include reports from journalists, media outlets, activists and politicians.
“Doing so, we believe, would violate your fundamental right to freedom of expression under Indian law,” said the blog post.