New Delhi, May 8 — India’s government has directed social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to block access to over 8,000 accounts within the country, a move the company says it is complying with under protest.
X disclosed that the takedown orders affect accounts belonging to international media outlets and prominent public figures.
In a statement, the platform said that the government’s directives were issued without citing specific posts that violated Indian laws in most cases, and that many of the flagged accounts lacked supporting evidence or justification.
“This is not an easy decision,” the company said. “However, keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to ensuring that Indians continue to have access to information.”
Failure to comply, X stated, could expose its India-based employees to “potential criminal penalties, including significant fines and imprisonment.”
The company has begun restricting the visibility of the specified accounts in India, but reiterated its strong opposition to the directive.
“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary; it amounts to censorship of both existing and future content,” X said, raising concerns over infringement on free speech.
While X stressed the importance of making the executive orders public to ensure transparency and accountability, it noted that Indian law currently bars it from disclosing the specifics of those orders.
The platform added that it is exploring legal avenues to contest the action, although it acknowledged that its ability to challenge the government is limited compared to Indian citizens or entities directly affected.
