What started as a simmering feud with Twitter over the farmer protests is now threatening to boil over, and technology companies might need to rethink what they’re doing in the kitchen. India turned up the heat last week after announcing the Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code, a legally enforceable set of rules that, among other things, tightens regulatory scrutiny of social media platforms that have five million users in the country. Critics have been quick to denounce it as anti-democratic and unconstitutional; and say they could pose a threat to freedom of expression. Reuters points out that it is part of a broader trend of tech scrutiny globally, while the rules could be emulated by other countries such as the US, the UK and Australia, according to the Economic Times.

Those who’ve been following the news even casually will be aware that for some months now, India has been experiencing protests from farmers, demanding the withdrawal of new agriculture laws that they say benefit private buyers at the expense of growers. As you read this, tens of thousands of farmers are still camped outside the capital of New Delhi, and there does not appear any end to the impasse.

For nearly every business, venturing into a new market comes with unforeseen complexities and uncertainty. For social media companies, which manage information flows and news, and can be somewhat broadly defined, the risks and challenges are continuing to evolve. In jurisdictions where market rules aren’t so clear cut, such challenges can trigger a variety of operational risks, making the situation incredibly complex.

As the legal market grows increasingly competitive and law firms vie to attract the best talent, a carefully crafted social image has become a powerful tool to promote, engage and stand out.