There has been a lot of debate on whether Twitter should be banned as it had failed to fully comply with the Central Government rules. To date, it has not been banned and it has been asked to make certain changes to comply with the current IT rules. However, Twitter’s uploading of wrong maps of India is triggering a massive backlash not only from the Government but also from the users.
This is not the first time that Twitter has shown the wrong map of India. In October 2020, Twitter had uploaded a map showing Leh as part of China, which is quite ridiculous. Leh has always been a part of India even before the British rule. It is also argued that despite similarities in religion and customs with Tibet, Ladakh was neither a part of Tibet nor have Chinese claimed Leh, though it claims parts of Arunachal Pradesh. Ajay Sawhney, Ministry of Electronics and IT secretary, said,
“Any attempt by Twitter to disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable. The same is also unlawful.”
After a stern letter was given to the CEO of Twitter, Twitter removed the wrong map from their site.
Twitter has erupted once again due to the uploading of another inappropriate map of India as late as June 2021. This time it showed Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as separate countries, not a part of India. This is very disturbing since almost the entire world, except Pakistan, considers Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as a part of India. It is true that there are parts of Jammu and Kashmir, occupied by Pakistan, and parts of Ladakh, occupied by China. However, those parts are shown to be part of the respective countries, Pok part of Pakistan and Aksai Chin part of China. The rest of the state, which is no doubt a part of India, has been demarcated as a separate country. This has irked the Indian politicians and locals living in those areas, many of whom have raised their voices.
Under public pressure, Twitter was again forced to remove the wrong map and upload a correct map showing Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as part of India. However, this has drawn ire from netizens not only from India but also outside. Many users have lost trust in Twitter and have stopped using it. Twitter will lose a major chunk of users if it continues to post inappropriate maps like this. It is high time, Twitter should respect India’s sovereignty, and verify the contents it is circulating among the users.
Written by – Himadri Paul