Twitter, FB remove 100 posts after government order

New Delhi: Twitter and other social media platforms have removed about 100 posts and URLs after the Union government asked them to remove content that was critical of the handling of the current medical crisis or spreading fake news around the pandemic. Twitter said it has notified the impacted account holders of its action taken in response to a legal request from the government, while Facebook did not comment on the issue.

Sources said the companies have complied with the order. However, it wasn't immediately known what the removed posts were.

Meanwhile, government sources said the IT Ministry, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, asked the social media platforms to remove the posts and URLs (uniform resource locators) to "prevent obstructions in the fight against the pandemic" and disruption of public order due to the said posts.

They added that the order was issued in view of the misuse of social media platforms by certain users to spread fake or misleading information and create panic about the pandemic in the society "by using unrelated, old and out of the context images or visuals, communally sensitive posts and misinformation about Covid-19 protocols".