Govt asks social media platform X to block over 8,000 accounts in India

X says the Indian government has directed it to block over 8,000 accounts, warning of possible fines and jail time for non-compliance with executive orders

Social media platform X on Thursday said it had received executive orders from the Indian government requiring it to block over 8,000 accounts in India.

 

The company stated that the orders also warned of “potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees” in case of non-compliance.

 

According to X, the orders instructed the platform to restrict Indian users’ access to international news organisations and prominent X users within the country.

 

“In most cases, the Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India’s local laws. For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts,” said X’s Global Government Affairs division in a public post.

 

While X said it would comply by withholding the specified accounts and posts in India, it made clear that it disagreed with the government’s directive.

 

“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech. This is not an easy decision, however, keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information,” the company said.

 

X added that although it is exploring all possible legal avenues, affected users should seek appropriate relief through the courts.

 

“We have provided the affected users with notice of the actions in accordance with our policies,” the company said.