X, formerly known as Twitter, has announced that it will adhere to executive orders issued by the Indian government, mandating the suspension of specific accounts and posts on the platform.
The platform’s notice stated that although it complies with the directives to withhold certain identified accounts and posts within India, the platform disagrees with the government’s actions and is dedicated to freedom of expression and free speech. To that effect, the platform will challenge the order using a writ appeal.
And while X has notified the users whose accounts and posts have been withheld in India about the orders, the platform has chosen not to disclose the identities of the affected accounts.
X’s announcement of complying with the government of India’s orders follows the temporary blocking of approximately 177 accounts and web links associated with the farmers’ protest.
According to Twitter’s official Global Government Affairs account, the platform’s compliance with the Indian government’s orders is influenced by potential threats of significant fines and legal proceedings. Nevertheless, X has taken steps to challenge these directives by filing a writ appeal, which is currently pending.
X has emphasized that the platform cannot publicly disclose the contents of the executive orders due to legal constraints. Furthermore, the platform was critical of the lack of transparency and said such orders could lead to arbitrary decision-making and a lack of accountability.
The government of India and X Corp have been at loggerheads for a long time. The ongoing conflict escalated last year. In September 2023, the government of India accused the platform of habitual non-compliance during legal proceedings in a Karnataka court.
The government filed a document stating that X’s non-compliance with takedown orders often undermined the authority of the law, judiciary, and executive.
This was in response to a challenge filed by the platform appealing against a different court order seeking the dismissal of specific government directives and a fine of Rs 50 Lakhs.
In its court filing, the government argued that all blocking orders were issued following legal processes and in the interest of India’s sovereignty and security. It accused X of deliberate non-compliance, characterizing it as an “abetment to offenses of publishing prohibited content.”
