Twitter says it is seeking dialogue with minister

New Delhi, Feb 09: Twitter said that it has reached out to the electronics and information technology minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad for a formal dialogue.

Twitter said that it had shared an update with the government after it was issued a notice for not complying with an order to restrict access to some accounts.

It may be recalled that last week the company had restored access to 257 profiles, it had temporarily blocked following an order from the government. The government then sent a notice saying that Twitter was not in a position to judge the order and that it was an intermediary liable to follow directions as per the law, which could also include penal provisions.

"Safety of our employees is a top priority for us at Twitter. We continue to be engaged with the government of India from a position of respect and have reached out to the honourable minister for a formal dialogue. An acknowledgement to the receipt of the non-compliance notice has also been formally communicated," a spokesperson for Twitter said.

We strongly believe that the open and free exchange of information has a positive global impact and that the Tweets must continue to flow, the spokesperson also said. "We review every report we receive from the government as expeditiously as possible, and take appropriate action regarding such reports while making sure we hold firm to our fundamental values and commitment to protecting the public conversation," the spokesperson also added.

The government however says that it is yet to hear from Twitter. An official said that there has been no communication so far. We are giving them time and if they fail to act, then we will have to consider other options, the official also said.