Twitter on Friday said the microblogging website had removed Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s display picture from his official handle and locked his account due to an “inadvertent error”, ANI reported.
This came a day after Shah’s profile photo was removed by the social media website in response to an unspecified “report from the copyright holder”. On Thursday, when users clicked on the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader’s picture on his verified account, they were redirected to a blank page with the message: “Media not displayed. This image has been removed in response to a report from the copyright holder.”
Although the photograph was reinstated after some time, Twitter had not shared other details about the action. The company’s copyright policy states: “In general, the photographer and NOT the subject of a photograph is the actual rights holder of the resulting photograph.”
A Twitter spokesperson on Friday told ANI that the social media platform had mistakenly locked Shah’s profile under its global copyright policies. “This decision was reversed immediately and the account is fully functional,” the spokesperson said.
The microblogging website’s actions came on the same day the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued a notice to Twitter, asking for an explanation in five days for showing Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir and not Ladakh. The social media platform had on October 18 shown Jammu and Kashmir as a part of China during a live broadcast by a journalist, which had led to a controversy.
The notice, sent to Twitter’s global vice president, asked why legal action should not be taken against the company and its representatives.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!