Striking a note of caution, the government has warned micro-blogging platform Twitter over a geo-tagging issue, where Jammu and Kashmir was shown as a territory of China during a live broadcast. Shooting off a strongly-worded letter to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, IT Secretary Ajay Sawhney conveyed strong disapproval of the government over the misrepresentation of the location.
In his stern letter, the IT Secretary reminded Twitter that Leh is the headquarter of Union Territory of Ladakh, and both Ladakh as well as Jammu and Kashmir are integral and inalienable parts of India, governed by the Constitution of India. Such misrepresentations bring disrespute to the platform and raise questions on its neutrality and fairness, the letter stated.
The government also asked Twitter to respect the sensitivities of Indian citizens while also making it clear that any attempt by Twitter to disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India, which is also reflected by the maps, is totally unacceptable and unlawful.
Acknowledging the letter, Twitter said it respects the sensitivities involved and remains committed to working with the Government of India. "Twitter remains committed to working with the Government of India. We respect the sensitivities involved and have duly acknowledged the letter," a Twitter spokesperson said.
The error came to light after Nitin Gokhale, author and national security analyst, started the live broadcast on Twitter from the Hall of Fame, a memorial for soldiers who lost their lives fighting for the country. The location displaying on the video was marked as 'Jammu and Kashmir, People's Republic of China.' Following this, other users also tried uploading images and live broadcasts with their location tagged as Leh. It showed the territory as a part of China. It was resolved later by Twitter which it claimed was a "technical" issue.
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