On the subject of fake news, the Govt. had a heated discussion with Google and Twitter.

Officials have had tense talks with Google, Twitter, and Facebook about not proactively removing what they call fake news from their platforms, according to Reuters sources. This is the government's latest spat with Big Tech. 

Officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) slammed the corporations, saying their inaction on false news was causing the government to force content takedowns, which brought international criticism that the government was restricting free speech, according to two sources.

The call was hot and acrimonious, according to people acquainted with the virtual encounter on Monday, signalling a new low in ties between American internet companies and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's administration.

At the meeting, the officials did not offer any ultimatums to the corporations, according to the sources. The government has tightened restrictions in the digital sector, but it wants corporations to perform more content filtering. 

The meeting came after the I&B ministry used "emergency powers" to order the shutdown of 55 YouTube channels, as well as several Twitter and Facebook accounts, in December and January.

The government claimed that the stations were spreading "fake news" or "anti-India" content, and that the misinformation was coming from accounts in Pakistan. 

A request for comment from the I&B ministry on the meeting, which was also attended by domestic content-sharing services ShareChat and Koo, which have millions of users in the nation, went unanswered.

Twitter, ShareChat, and Facebook, now known as Meta, all declined to comment. 

Google, which is owned by Alphabet Inc., said in a statement that it evaluates government requests and "when appropriate, restricts or removes content in accordance with local laws." It complies with local laws, according to Koo, and has strict content filtering policies in place.

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