Twitter India: At a Crossroads between Freedom of Expression and Social Responsibility

In February 2021, the Indian government announced new regulations to increase the accountability of social media companies for misusing their platforms in spreading fabricated news, misinformation, and obscene material. The new rules were not welcomed by some prominent social media companies, including Twitter. The giant microblogging network claimed that the new rules were designed to suppress freedom of speech among the citizens of India, one of the largest democracies of the world. However, Indian regulators argued that the new rules were required to prevent abuse on open social media networks. Twitter contended that it was self-regulated and argued that its users’ voices should not be regulated because it would clearly amount to suppression of the right to free expression. In a changing political and legal environment, how could Twitter meet increasing demands from regulators to moderate content, while remaining aligned with its mission, vision, and ethical standards? Were the self-regulatory mechanisms of social media companies adequately effective without interference from external forces?

This case is designed as an introduction to the concept of social media or digital media ethics. It is suitable for graduate- and executive-level courses on business ethics and digital marketing. It introduces students to a host of ethical issues, such as accuracy, privacy, and trust associated with social media content. These issues are also discussed in terms of the relationship between social media platforms and regulatory bodies. The case explores some fundamental concepts related to digital media ethics. It enables students to make a clear distinction between misinformation and censorship, and to understand the ethical dilemmas these two facets of social media unfold. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to<ul><li>understand concepts such as ethics, morality, social responsibility, and digital rights in social media contexts;</li><li>identify and evaluate ethical issues associated with information sharing on social media platforms;</li><li>understand the basic ethical theories and their relevance for ethical decision making by digital media companies;</li><li>compare the implications of self-regulated and governmental regulated approaches for businesses in context of digital media; and</li><li>define the norms of behaviour in social media spaces.</li></ul>

• digital ethics
• social media