New Delhi: External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday called for a debate on the responsibility, accountability and influence wielded by big tech companies as “non-state players”, saying such issues cannot be brushed under the carpet. Jaishankar’s remarks came against the backdrop of a tussle between social media giant Twitter and the Indian government following the implementation of controversial new digital media rules. He made the comments while participating in a virtual conversation with former UK prime minister Tony Blair.

The minister said there was a debate in different parts of the world on big tech, including a “very vigorous one in India”. While acknowledging technology and innovation as forces of progress that had opened new vistas, Jaishankar said there is also a need for democratic societies to debate the responsibility that comes along with the power wielded by big tech companies.

Without naming any particular company, Jaishankar said, “In a democratic society, we have to ask ourselves...big tech is there, it’s very visibly in my life. You have a big presence [but] where is the responsibility which comes with it? They have huge power, where is the accountability?”

He added, “This is again not an issue limited to India. They harvest our data as they do across the world. So you have, in a sense, the opposite of the American Revolution, which is you have representation and no taxation.”Besides looking at the role of big tech as a governance issue, a political issue, and a democratic issue, there is also the need to examine the influence such firms command, he said.“International relations have been devised on the basis of state-based players. What happens when you have non-state players who in some ways are bigger than many states? These are very serious questions which need debating,” Jaishankar said.