Farmers Movement Archive

Why did Twitter delete Kangana Ranaut’s tweets?

Microblogging site Twitter on Thursday removed two of actress Kangana Ranaut’s tweets related to the farmers' protests. "We have taken action on Tweets that were in violation of the Twitter Rules in line with our range of enforcement options," Twitter said in an official statement.In one of the now-deleted tweets, Ranaut was responding to cricketer Rohit Sharma’s statement of solidarity against the rising global criticism of the three farm laws that farmers have been protesting against. In another tweet that has been removed by Twitter, Kangana wrote: "I feel so elated. I don't remember being so happy/excited ever, the cancer in the body of this nation we were looking for has been located, identified and now the process of eradication will start, together we will see through this. Not just survive but also thrive. Jai Hind." Both tweets have been flagged and deleted by Twitter, with a message displayed at their places, saying. "This Tweet is no longer available because it violated the Twitter Rules".Why were the tweets deleted?The microblogging site removes tweets if they violate Twitter's policy. The policy states that if a tweet is found to be violating rules and yet to be deleted by the owner of the account, it will be hidden behind a notice. A country’s authorised entity — in most cases the government — can also request Twitter to remove tweets or entire accounts for justifiable reasons. India recently asked for certain accounts related to the farmers’ protest to be taken down, and Twitter had initially obliged. After taking internal cognisance of the accounts, they were not found to be violative of any Twitter policy and were restored.“We may sometimes add a notice to an account or Tweet to give you more context on the actions our systems or teams may take. In some instances, this is because the behaviour violates the Twitter Rules. Other times, it may be in response to a valid and properly scoped request from an authorized entity in a given country.” Twitter says on its website.Twitter can delete or remove a tweet if it falls under the following categories.Violence: Threatening to inflict violence on any individual or group can cause a tweet to be deleted or an account to be suspended, temporarily or otherwise. Ranaut’s tweet on OTT series Tandav was categorised as violent and her account was temporarily suspended. Twitter clearly states “We also prohibit the glorification of violence”.Hateful conduct: Promoting hatred against any ethnicity, race, gender, identity, sexual orientation invites action from Twitter. Ranaut has on occasion labelled the protesting farmers as ‘Khalistanis’ and ‘terrorists’.Abuse/harassment: Users face action if they are found to be engaging in the targeted harassment of someone, or inciting others to do so.Apart from these safeguards which Kangana's tweets violated, Twitter flags posts on terrorism, child sexual exploitation, suicide, or tweets with sensitive media, adult content etc.

Hindustan Times

05-02-2021

India