On Thursday (Feb 22nd), Social media platform ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, said it would withhold some accounts and posts in India. Platform X will take this action on the order of the Narendra Modi government, even if they disagree with it and think that ‘freedom of expression should extend to these posts.’
“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,” platform X announced in a post via the Global Government Affairs account, early on February 22.
Platform X Refused to Block Accounts in 2021
In 2023, Karnataka High Court dismissed X’s plea which challenged 2021 takedown orders. X had refused to block accounts and links, that were ordered during the 2021 farmer’s protest. Karnataka High Court imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on the American company for complying with emergency blocking orders of the government.
X’s policy
Multiple X users whose accounts or posts have been withheld over the last two weeks reported that they have not been informed by X about the blocking of accounts or content. In its Thursday post, X said, “We have also provided the impacted users with notice of these actions in accordance with our policies.”
Until April 15, 2023, X used to provide details of the accounts, links, and posts blocked in India to the Lumen database which is an independent research project by Berkman Klein Centre for Internet and Society at Harvard University.
Blocking Orders from the Modi Government amidst Farmers Protest
As per the report, On February 15 and 20, the government issued two sets of blocking orders for social media accounts and links related to ongoing farmer’s protests.
On February 19th, 177 links and accounts were blocked by X, complying with the government orders in which 42 were accounts and 49 were links. Another set of blocking was issued on Wednesday for blocking accounts and posts from multiple social media platforms including both YouTube and platform X on the orders of the Union Home Ministry.
On February 19th, Fact checker, Mohammed Zubair wrote on X, “A lot of X accounts critical of BJP Govt have either been suspended or withheld in India. Many influential X accounts of ground reporters / influencers/ prominent farm unionists covering Farmers Protest in India are suspended too,” and shared the handles of few accounts.