Jack Dorsey's Troubled India Journey: 5 Times Former Twitter CEO Faced Criticism

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey recently spoke about the Indian government, alleging that during the farmers' protests against the now-scrapped laws, the government wanted Twitter to crack down on journalists and even threatened to shut down Twitter.

This isn't the first time Jack Dorsey has faced heat in India. In the past, many actions taken by Jack Dorsey have put him at odds with the government in India and sometimes the majority in India. Here's a list!

Reuters

Govt threatens to shut down Twitter

Drawing parallels with Turkey, Jack Dorsey said that the Indian government had asked Twitter to suspend accounts of journalists critical of the government during the contentious farmers' protests that shook the country in 2020-21. At the same time, Dorsey alleged that the government threatened to shut down Twitter and raid the homes of its employees.

Reuters

Also read: Union Minister Slams Jack Dorsey's Claims Of Government Control Over Twitter

Suspension of accounts during farmers' protests

During the farmers' protests in India, Twitter actively suspended several accounts that were sharing content about the agitation. In response, Indian government perceived this as interference in the country's "internal affairs." This led to questions about how far social media companies should be allowed to go when it comes to shaping public opinion. In February 2021, the central government said that "freedom of expression is not absolute and it is subject to reasonable restrictions."

'Smash Brahminical Patriarchy'

Uncredited

During Jack Dorsey's visit to India in 2018, Jack Dorsey posed with a placard that said "Smash Brahminical Patriarchy." This drew a sharp reaction from many people in India. Many accused him of being "anti-Brahmin." At that moment, Twitter put out a statement saying, "The sentiments expressed on the poster do not reflect the views of Twitter as a company or Jack as the CEO, and we regret that this picture has detracted from an otherwise insightful trip to India."

How Twitter handles govt requests

On many occasions, the government of India has voiced strong opposition to how Twitter handles government requests. Indian authorities have questioned Twitter's compliance with local laws and its responsiveness to removal of objectionable content in India. A point of contention was when Twitter appeared to not comply with India's new IT rules that demanded more transparency from social media giants.

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Also read: After Adani, Hindenburg Research Accuses Jack Dorsey's Firm Block Of Fraud In Its New Report

Bias

Many groups in India claimed that, under Jack Dorsey, Twitter used to disproportionately target certain ideologies. In addition, many felt that the company wasn't doing enough to fight hate speech and misinformation in India. How true this is under Elon Musk is yet to be ascertained. Musk wanted Twitter to become a champion of free speech, but that dream seems to have died.

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