India is trying to suppress social media platforms. The U.S. should stand up for them. – Editorial
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration has ordered social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to remove dozens of posts about its pandemic response. These companies should stand up for themselves, but the United States and its peers should stand up for them, too….
Facebook and Twitter tend to take down content when it violates their own rules and to “geoblock” content – restricting visibility only in a given jurisdiction – when it doesn’t violate their rules but does violate the laws of a country in which they operate…. The problem is, no one can know for sure, because Mr. Modi’s regime has eschewed any semblance of transparency, not even specifying what legislation it used to justify its demands.
…. Their choice should be to say “no” to any egregious curtailment of civil liberties. President Biden and the leaders of like-minded nations should do whatever they can to bolster companies when they resist bullying….
