India Ordered X To Block 2,000+ Accounts, Including Reuters, Says Platform
India-West News Desk
NEW DELHI – Social media platform X, owned by Elon Musk has accused the Indian government of engaging in “ongoing press censorship,” revealing on July 8 that it was ordered to block over 2,000 accounts, including two belonging to international news agency Reuters.
According to a statement posted by X, the directive was issued on July 3 under Section 69A of India’s Information Technology Act — a law that allows the government to block access to online content in the interest of national security or public order. The platform said it risked criminal penalties if it failed to comply.
Among the accounts blocked for Indian users were @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, which were inaccessible starting late July 5. Users attempting to view the accounts saw a notice stating the handles had been “withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand.” Both accounts were restored by July 6, but X said the fate of the remaining 2,355 accounts remains unclear.
X’s claims have been contradicted by Indian officials. A spokesperson for the Press Information Bureau stated no agency had ordered the suspension of Reuters’ accounts. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology later added that no “fresh blocking order” had been issued on July 3, and that the government had requested X to unblock Reuters following backlash.
The ministry further accused the platform of “exploiting technicalities” and failing to act in good faith. “The government had no intention of blocking any prominent international news channel, including Reuters,” it said.
Reuters, in its own statement, said it had not been informed about which specific content triggered the blocking request.
The incident is the latest flashpoint in a series of tensions between X and the Indian government over content moderation. In March, the company filed a legal challenge against new regulations it says vastly expand censorship powers to numerous government officials.
