New Delhi– Elon Musk-led social media platform X announced on Thursday that it has received orders from the Indian government to block more than 8,000 accounts in the country for allegedly violating local laws. The company stated it will comply with the directive, in accordance with Indian legal requirements.
While X did not disclose the identities of the targeted accounts, it said the list includes “international news organisations and prominent X users.”
The government action follows heightened tensions stemming from the India-Pakistan conflict and a recent terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed the lives of 26 tourists. The situation has reportedly led to a surge in misinformation online.
“X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring the platform to block over 8,000 accounts in India,” the company said in a statement. “Failure to comply could result in significant penalties, including fines and imprisonment of local employees.”
The platform expressed concern over the lack of transparency in the orders, saying that the government did not provide specific evidence or justification for many of the accounts flagged for removal.
“For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block them,” X said. The company added that while it disagrees with the government’s demand, it will “withhold” the accounts within India only, as legally mandated.
Calling the decision “not easy,” X noted that it has begun the compliance process and has notified the affected users.
The company also criticized the government’s approach, saying: “Blocking entire accounts amounts to censorship of existing and future content and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech.”
X emphasized its role as a crucial platform for information access in India and called for greater transparency: “We believe that making these executive orders public is essential for accountability. However, legal restrictions currently prevent us from disclosing them.”
The platform said it is exploring all available legal avenues and encouraged impacted users to seek relief through the courts. (Source: IANS)
