Can't Invoke Free Speech Against Instagram, Facebook: Parent Firm Meta To High Court
NDTV
In its affidavit filed in response to a writ petition against an alleged disabling on an Instagram account, the US-based company said that the "Instagram Service is a free and voluntary platform", governed by a private contract, and the petitioner user "has no fundamental right to use it".
Social media giant Meta Platforms Inc - the parent company of Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp - has told the Delhi High Court that the rights under Article 19 (free speech) of the Constitution of India cannot be invoked against it by a user and that it is a private entity which does not discharge a public function.
In its affidavit filed in response to a writ petition against an alleged disabling on an Instagram account, the US-based company said that the "Instagram Service is a free and voluntary platform", governed by a private contract, and the petitioner user "has no fundamental right to use it".
The high court is seized of several petitions challenging the suspension and deletion of several user accounts by various social media platforms.
In March, in response to another petition against the suspension of a Twitter account, the Central government had told the high court that an individual's liberty and freedom cannot be "waylaid or jettisoned in the slipstream of social and technological advancement" and the social media platforms must respect the fundamental rights of the citizens and conform to the Constitution of India.
