X to block over 8,000 accounts in India after government order
Billionaire Elon Musk-led social media platform X on Thursday said the Indian government has asked it to block more than 8,000 accounts in the country for violating laws
- NEW DELHI — Billionaire Elon Musk-led social media platform X on Thursday said
the Indian government has asked it to block more than 8,000 accounts in the
country for violating laws, and it will comply with the law of the land.
-
- While the platform did not specify names of the accounts,
it includes "international news organisations and prominent X users",
the media platform shared in a statement.
-
- The move comes amid the India-Pakistan conflict, in the
aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, which has seen
an increase in misinformation.
-
- "X has received executive orders from the Indian
government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to
potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the
company’s local employees," the statement said.
-
- The statement said that the government did not specify
which posts have violated laws.
-
- "For a significant number of accounts, we did not
receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts," X said,
noting that it will comply with the order and "withhold" the accounts
only in India.
-
- Calling the decision "not easy", X said it has
initiated process and sent the affected users "notice of the
actions".
-
- It also expressed disagreement with the Indian
government’s demands over blocking entire accounts.
-
- "It amounts to censorship of existing and future
content and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech," the
statement said.
-
- X said the platform is vital to Indians’ ability to
access information.
-
- "We believe that making these executive orders public
is essential for transparency -- lack of disclosure discourages accountability
and can contribute to arbitrary decision making. However, due to legal
restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders at this time,"
the statement said.
