Twitter blocks singer Jazzy B’s account in India on government request

Canadian-Punjabi singer Jazzy B and three other user’s Twitter handles have been blocked from the platform after a legal demand from the government on Sunday. 

Jazzy B actively supported the farmer’s protest in December 2020 and frequently voiced his rebellion through tweets. Later he joined the protestors on the borders of Delhi. 

The accounts have been geo-restricted and can be accessed from IP addresses outside the country. 

According to Twitter’s ‘help centre’, the networking service may withhold access to content in a particular country if they receive a valid request from an authorized entity.  

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“Such withholdings will be limited to the specific jurisdiction that has issued the valid legal demand or where the content has been found to violate local law(s)”, says the website. 

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All four accounts have uploaded content that is critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, reported news website TechCrunch. 

Even though Twitter is yet to make any official statements, it has confirmed the news on the Lumen database, which is an online archive that analyses the legal complaints and removal of content from a website. 

The news comes amid pressure on tech giants operating in the country to abide by the new IT rules. Twitter in an official statement describes the changes as a threat to freedom of expression.