The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Election Commission of India (ECI) has mandated the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to remove specific posts by YSR Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu, and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary. These posts were identified as violating the model code of conduct which governs the behavior of political parties during election periods.
The initial orders were issued on April 2nd and 3rd, with a subsequent reminder on April 10th, stressing a breach of the “voluntary code of ethics” should the platform fail to comply. The content in question was deemed to be improperly critical of political figures and parties, including personal attacks and unsubstantiated claims, which are prohibited under the election guidelines.
In response, the platform withheld the offending posts for the duration of the election period, although it expressed disagreement with the decision. “In compliance with the orders, we have withheld these posts for the remainder of the election period. However, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts and political speech in general,” a statement from the company read.
The platform has notified the affected users and published the takedown notices to ensure transparency, urging the ECI to make all such orders public going forward. This action highlights ongoing tensions between regulating bodies and social media platforms regarding the balance between free expression and electoral integrity.