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Twitter apologises to House panel for Ladakh map error
Social media company Twitter has furnished a written apology to a joint parliamentary panel for wrongly mapping Ladakh as a part of China, days after the committee’s
Social media company Twitter has furnished a written apology to a joint parliamentary panel for wrongly mapping Ladakh as a part of China, days after the committee’s members slammed the microblogging site and said publishing the incorrect map amounted to an act of treason.Twitter has promised to rectify the error by the end of this month.
An affidavit to the joint parliamentary committee on the data protection bill signed by Twitter Inc’s chief privacy officer Damien Karien offered an apology for the wrong geo-tagging of India’s map, panel chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi said on Wednesday.
“Twitter has now given us a written apology on an affidavit for Ladakh being shown in China,” Lekhi said, “They have apologised for hurting Indian sentiments and have sworn to correct the error by November 30, 2020.”
Speaking to HT, Lekhi said, “People of India and the Government of India take issues related to national security very seriously. While some in the Gupkar alliance may have different dreams, the people of this country and the government of this country won’t allow them to fructify because we are committed to the protection of the integrity and assets of this country, both physical as well as digital.”
Her reference was to the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration, a group of seven political parties in Jammu & Kashmir that want the restoration of the region’s special status, revoked last year. The alliance has come under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which has accused it of working against national interest.
Last month, a journalist started a live Twitter broadcast from a memorial in Leh and realised that the location said People’s Republic of China. That prompted the secretary of the ministry of electronics and information technology to write to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to express the government’s disapproval.
Twitter India representatives offered to apologise over the incident before the panel last month but when they said the issue had been resolved keeping in mind India’s sensitivity, members of the panel took exception. Lekhi and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Bhartuhari Mahtab firmly maintained that it was not just about sensitivities but more to do with India’s sovereignty and integrity.
The lawmakers insisted on receiving affidavits from companies participating in the proceedings on the proposed law as that would render the replies legally binding. “These are foreign companies talking about a proposed Indian law. That is the reason we sought affidavits as their replies would be legally binding,” said a member of the panel.
Twitter didn’t confirm if it had apologised in writing but said on Wednesday, “Earning and maintaining the trust of the people on our service is of the utmost importance. Twitter remains committed to serving and protecting the public conversation and partnering with the Government of India.”
Apart from Twitter, Amazon, Google, Facebook and other companies were also asked to submit affidavits with their written replies on the bill. Twitter and most of the other companies have submitted their replies. Over the next two days, the panel will meet representatives of Visa, Mastercard, Paypal and other key payment gateway service providers over the data bill.
