No Repeat Of 2016 US Elections? Parliamentary Panel Tells Twitter To Ensure No Foreign Influence

The parliamentary panel has asked news and social media platform Twitter to ensure no influence from foreign entities on the upcoming Indian general elections, the Hindustan Times reports. The request came about after interference complaints on social media platforms during the US Elections in 2016.

Twitter’s global Vice President for Public Policy, Colin Crowell, met with a parliamentary panel on Information Technology (IT), which was led by BJP leader Anurag Thakur. The microblogging site was also told to work closely with the Election Commission (EC) and address issues which are flagged by them.

“The Lok Sabha elections should be free and fair. There should not be the kind of complaints as in the US,” IANS quoted Thakur. The panel told Twitter that there needs to be clarity and transparency regarding advertisements and sponsored content on the platform. They have also summoned senior officials from Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram on 6 March.

The panel had concerns over how algorithms are being used in India and also wanted information on how advertisements that are seen on Twitter are funded.

Cornwell had earlier said, “The 2019 Lok Sabha is a priority for the company, and our dedicated cross-functional team is working to ensure that the health of the public conversation is enhanced and protected at this important time.”

Political parties campaigning on Twitter during the Lok Sabha polls would have to register on the platform as part of stricter advertising rules that are designed to protect elections from foreign interference.