Tejasvi Surya on Twitter banning Trump: ‘Wake-up call for democracies… they can do this to anyone’
BJP MP from Karnataka and the party’s youth wing president Tejasvi Surya called Twitter banning outgoing US President Donald Trump’s account permanently a threat to democracy, saying if they can do this to the president of the United States, they can do it with anyone.
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. Taking to Twitter, Surya said India should review the intermediary’s regulations at the earliest. “This must be a wake-up call for all who don’t yet understand the threat to our democracies by unregulated big tech companies.
Tejasvi’s tweet came after the social media giant posted, “After a close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”
It cannot be curtailed whimsically by Pvt big tech companies without accountability. But one certainly can’t expect such statesmanship from a party that imposed Emergency.” In another tweet, Surya said, “I don’t want Twitter to ban anyone – Congressi or BJP or anyone. Freedom of Expression (FoE) is sacrosanct.
Intermediaries, as per their definition, can’t interfere in the content on Social Media platforms. But Rules thereunder say otherwise. This anomaly must be addressed immediately.” Attaching a video of him speaking in Parliament on IT guidelines, Surya said, “I’d urged govt to repeal IT Intermediaries Guidelines Rules during Zero Hr in Parliament.
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. BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya also reacted to the development, saying the move by Twitter sets a dangerous precedent. “Deplatforming Donald Trump, a sitting US president, sets a dangerous precedent.
The move to suspend Trump’s account, which had more than 88 million followers, before the end of his term follows years of debate about how social media companies should moderate the accounts of powerful global leaders.