Govt Says No Legal Requirement To Block Reuters' X Account In India, Working To Resolve Issue

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The official X (formerly Twitter) account of international news agency Reuters has been blocked in India, reportedly“in response to a legal demand”, as per notice displayed by the social media platform.

However, a spokesperson for the government told PTI that there is no legal requirement made by it Centre to withhold the account, and it is working with X to resolve the issue.

Reuters' X account is likely to be restored soon, the report added.

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“There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold Reuters and we are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” the spokesperson told PTI.

An email sent to Reuters seeking comments did not elicit a response, the report added

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The report cited other sources, who said that the demand for blocking of Reuters' X account was made during Operation Sindoor in May. It was also among several hundreds other accounts listed for being blocked from access in India, but this wasn't done then, it added.

The source added that Elon Musk -owned X seems to have now acted on that request and blocked Reuters' X handle in India. However, since the issue is not relevant at present, the government has asked X to explain the blocking and lift the embargo.

“An order was issued on May 7 (during Operation Sindoor ) but it was not enforced. X seems to have enforced that order now which is a mistake on their part. Government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest,” an official source said.

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• Affiliated X handles such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China are accessible in India.
• However, both official X accounts of the global news agency as well as Reuters World handles are inaccessible.
• X users attempting to access the main account can see a message that reads:“Account withheld. @ Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”
• On its help centre page, X explains such messages“about country withheld content” means X was compelled to withhold the entire account specified or posts in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order or local laws.

(With inputs from PTI)

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