Amit Malviya was subjected to fact-checking for misleading a video of police violence in Delhi.

On Wednesday, Twitter put a “manipulative media” label in the video, which is the head of the social media department of the Indian ruling party Bharatiya Janata. Tweet.Flagging tweets is nothing new-Twitter has been posting incorrect information on tweets since March tweet From American politicians, including President Donald Trump.

But this is the first time the company has posted a tweet from a well-known Indian politician, indicating that it may finally be ready to be a critic. Keep asking American social media platforms have to do for many years- Apply the same standards Just like they did to the United States.

The three-second clip was sent by Amit Malviya, notorious Post misinformation as part of his party’s propaganda machine.It shows a policeman in Delhi waving a baton at a farmer, thousands of people braving tear gas, water cannons and police roadblocks To protest India’s new agricultural policy.

The police officer in the clip missed. According to the video’s subtitles, “the police did not even encounter the farmer.” Malviya’s tweet gave the illusion that the police did not harm the man.

But just after the video clip was cut, other police attacked the man.Fact check website Say The longer video clip showed the second police officer waving at the farmers and later showed the police how he was injured. press.

Twitter Also applicable Attach tags to other instances of the same video posted by others.

Marvia did not respond to BuzzFeed News’ request for comment, but a Twitter spokesperson said he violated the company’s policy on media manipulation.

A Twitter spokesperson told BuzzFeed News: “The quoted tweets are tagged in accordance with our synthetic and manipulative media policy.” Clicking on the tag will take people to the Twitter author Generalize The debunks performed by the fact-checkers and the links to these debunks.

The policy, Twitter Announce In February, definition “Synthetic and manipulable media,” such as pictures or videos, have been “substantially altered or created in a way that changes their original meaning/purpose, or makes certain events appear to have not actually happened.” First application The tag was shared in March by the White House social media director Dan Scavino and retweeted by the President of the United States. A deceptively edited video of the current President-elect Joe Biden. It is applied to multiple tweets.

However, although a Twitter spokesperson stated that the policy is being “implemented on a global scale,” the company declined to cite other instances of the tag being applied to accounts in non-Western markets. (In the past, Twitter deleted or hidden the Brazilian President’s tweets Jair Bolsonaro And Brazilian politicians Osmar Terra Violation of policy coronavirus misinformation. )

Digital copyright activists have long stated that American technology companies have not done enough to prevent the damage caused by their platforms outside the United States and Europe.Platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, and YouTube are not only accused of dividing political discourse, but also contributing to Genocide In South Sudan, Lynching In India, and Genocide In Myanmar.

Dia Kayyali, deputy director of advocacy for human rights organization Mnemonic, said: “When labeling misinformation and manipulative content, companies are beginning to take more action, but they still need to do better outside the United States.” “We see them in action. The United States has invested huge resources and has taken more actions than anyone can imagine. Unfortunately, until now, they have not invested as many resources outside the United States.”

In India, experts stated that Twitter was forced to tag Malviya’s tweets after being repeatedly called upon by the media, fact-checkers and people on social media. “This is the result of continuous criticism over the years,” Pratik Sinha, editor of the Indian fact-checking site Alt News, told BuzzFeed News. However, he said: “This is the first step. It is too early to be happy now.”

It’s too early to see what the label might have. A tweet marking a prominent person in India’s ruling party may cause backlash in countries that Twitter considers to be a key growth market.

The BJP politicians accuse Twitter of having “biasOppose conservatives.Last year, Colin Cromwell, Twitter’s vice president of global public policy, published an article Blog post The title is “Directly set a record on Twitter India and impartiality”.Three days later, the Indian Parliamentary Committee grilled The company’s Indian executives expressed doubts about the company’s alleged prejudice.

The tag is also important because the video that Malviya tweeted was a response to a tweet by Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader of the Indian National Assembly. Rahul Gandhi is the oldest political party in India and the Bharatiya Janata Party. Competitor, which means that Twitter is wrong in saying the fact that it is one party.

Twitter declined to provide details on why it decided to specifically mark Malviya’s tweets. A Twitter spokesperson said: “In order to determine whether the media has made material, deceptive changes or fabrications, we may use our own technology or through partnerships with third parties to receive reports.”

Kayyali said: “BJP members cannot say anything just because they are political figures.”