Twitter on Tuesday said it has appointed an interim Chief Compliance Officer and the details of the official will be shared with the IT Ministry directly soon. The Union government had issued a notice to Twitter giving it one last chance to "immediately" comply with the new IT rules and warned that failure to adhere to the norms will lead to the platform losing exemption from liability under the IT Act.
Following this, Twitter had assured the Indian government last week that it is in advanced stages of finalising the appointment of chief compliance officer as required under the new IT rules, and that it will submit additional details within a week. A Twitter spokesperson on Tuesday said the company continues to make every effort to comply with the new guidelines, and is keeping the IT Ministry apprised of progress at every step of the process.
An interim Chief Compliance Officer has been retained and details will be shared with the Ministry directly soon, the spokesperson added.
The move by Twitter assumes significance as the microblogging platform has been facing heat over delay in complying with the IT rules that mandate large digital platforms to undertake greater due diligence, and make them more accountable and responsible for the content that is hosted.
As per the rules, significant social media intermediaries -- those with over 50 lakh users -- are required to appoint a grievance officer, a nodal officer and a chief compliance officer. These personnel have to be residents in India.
Last week, days after the ministry sent its final notice to Twitter, it told the government that it was making efforts to comply with the regulations and that it would share the details for the same in a week's time. In a letter to the ministry, the company has said that it remains committed to serving the people of India by providing a platform to facilitate public conversation in the country.
A parliamentary panel headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has also summoned top officials of the micro blogging site to depose before it on Friday and give a representation on prevention of misuse of the social media platform. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology has summoned several social media giants, including Facebook and Twitter, on issues related to misuse of the platforms and protection of citizens' rights.
According to a notice of the standing committee meeting on June 18, its agenda is to "hear the views of representatives of Twitter followed by evidence of representatives Electronics Technology on safeguarding citizens' rights and prevention of misuse of social/online news media platforms including special emphasis on women security in the digital space."