‘We disagree…’: Elon Musk’s X claims ‘orders’ from India to withhold accounts
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Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) has claimed that the Indian government issued “orders,” asking the social media giant to take action on specific accounts and posts. The government has not yet responded to the company’s allegations.
In a post written on X’s Global Government Affairs early on Thursday, the company disagreed with the move, stating that the posts should not be withheld on the grounds of freedom of expression. It, however, said it would comply with the Indian government’s order.
“The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment,” the post read.”In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts,” it said.
X said a petition challenging the government’s order was still pending.
“Consistent with our position, a writ appeal challenging the Indian government’s blocking orders remains pending. We have also provided the impacted users with notice of these actions in accordance with our policies,” it said.
In June last year, the Karnataka High Court dismissed X’s plea against the government’s orders to block certain social media accounts and tweets.
The high court imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the company for non-compliance with the Indian government’s orders.
Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the high court had upheld the government’s stand on the matter, adding that “the law of the land must be followed.”
“Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish executive orders, but we believe that making them public is essential for transparency. This lack of disclosure can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making,” X’s statement read.
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