Twitter Locked Ravi Shankar Prasad's Account Over Use Of AR Rahman Song, Says 'We Respond To Valid Copyright Complaints'

The response came after the Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called out the micro-blogging platform for blocking his account without any prior information, calling it a 'gross violation' of IT guidelines by Twitter.

Mumbai: Twitter has responded to the matter of temporarily restricting Union Electronics and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's access to his Twitter account. The micro-blogging platform clarified that it was done due to a DMCA notice, adding that it responds to valid copyright complaints.

A Twitter spokesperson informed that the tweet in question has been withheld.

"We can confirm that the Honourable Minister's account access was temporarily restricted due to a DMCA notice only, and the referenced Tweet has been withheld. As per our copyright policy, we respond to valid copyright complaints sent to us by a copyright owner or their authorised representatives," the spokesperson said.

The company's submission on a transparency database titled 'DMCA notice to Twitter' revealed that the IT Minister's account was temporarily restricted because of a copyright claim by Sony Music Entertainment for a clip that is reported to have used musician A R Rahman's song 'Maa Tujhe Salaam'.

The response came after the Union IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad called out the micro-blogging platform for blocking his account without any prior information, calling it a 'gross violation' of IT guidelines by Twitter.

He revealed that he was denied access to his Twitter account for almost an hour over an alleged violation of the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

"Twitter's actions were in gross violation of Rule 4(8) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 where they failed to provide me any prior notice before denying me access to my own account," he wrote.

Prasad, who has been criticising Twitter for not complying with India's IT Rules 2021, alleged that the action was taken because of the same: "It is apparent that my statements calling out the high handedness and arbitrary actions of Twitter, particularly sharing the clips of my interviews to TV channels and its powerful impact, have clearly ruffled its feathers".

"No matter what any platform does, they will have to abide by the new IT Rules fully and there shall be no compromise on that," he added.

Twitter has been at loggerheads with the Indian government over compliance with IT guidelines, whereafter it lost its status as an intermediary platform in the country over non-compliance with the new intermediary guidelines.

As a result, the company has lost its legal shield in India from facing prosecution over users' posts.