The Indian government has threatened employees of Facebook Inc., the WhatsApp unit and Twitter Inc. for destroying political protests and wielding widespread power over discourse on foreign technology platforms, say people familiar with the warnings.
The warnings are a direct response to the technology companies’ reluctance to comply with government data and expulsion requests related to protests from Indian farmers that have made international headlines, the people say. According to two of the people, at least some of the written warnings mentioned specific Indian-based workers who risk being arrested if the companies don’t follow the rules.
The threats mark an escalation in India’s efforts to put pressure on US technology companies at a time when those companies are looking to become the world’s second-most populous country for growth in the coming years.
Some of the government’s requests for data relate to WhatsApp, which is hugely popular in India and promises users encrypted communications that cannot be read by third parties.
A WhatsApp spokesperson said the company is complying with data requests that “comply with internationally recognized standards, including human rights, due process and the rule of law.” A Facebook spokesperson said the company “is responding to government requests for data in accordance with applicable law and our terms of service.”