Social Media Platform 'X' Blocks Accounts, Posts After Indian Govt Orders, Says We Disagree With These Acts

2/22/2024 4:00:25 AM

(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) In response to executive orders issued by the Indian government, social media platform 'X', owned by tech mogul Elon Musk, announced on Tuesday that it has taken action to block certain accounts and posts on its platform. The move comes following directives from Indian authorities, compelling 'X' to act on specific content, with penalties including fines and imprisonment for non-compliance.

The Global government Affairs division of 'X' released a statement affirming their compliance with the orders, stating, "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. 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."

Furthermore, 'X' highlighted the pending writ appeal challenging the Indian government's orders, indicating that impacted users have been notified of the actions taken in accordance with the platform's policies.

Addressing concerns over transparency, the statement emphasized the importance of making the executive orders public, citing potential ramifications of non-disclosure such as a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making.

This development follows previous instances of content restriction by 'X' in India. Earlier in 2022, 'X' had withheld an account associated with the Pakistan government in India, marking the second incident of its kind in recent months. Additionally, in October, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting directed YouTube to block 45 videos from 10 channels under the provisions of the Information Technology Act. These videos, with a combined viewership of over 13 million, contained false information and incendiary content aimed at stoking communal tensions.

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