HC junks Twitter’s plea on takedowns

The Karnataka high court has dismissed a petition filed by Twitter challenging content and account takedown orders issued by the Indian government. The court also fined Twitter ?50 lakh ($67,000) for failing to act on time. This decision holds significant implications for the government’s powers to order online content to be made inaccessible. It is the first time a social media company has been fined in this manner. The judge ruled that blocking orders are “reasoned decisions” and that there was “wilful non-compliance” by Twitter.