NEW DELHI: Hours after the Elon Musk-owned social media intermediary ‘X’ stated that it had started blocking accounts in response to directives from the Indian government, the ‘Global Government Affairs’ account of X (formerly Twitter) was temporarily withheld in India.
When attempting to access the '@GlobalAffairs' account, a message appeared on screen stating, ‘Account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand’.
In compliance with executive orders from the Indian government, X began blocking over 8,000 accounts in India on Thursday.
The platform took action following a government warning that non-compliance could result in substantial fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees.
In a post on X late Thursday evening, the Global Government Affairs team confirmed that, following the orders, it had commenced restricting access to specified accounts within India. However, it also expressed its reservations.
“To comply with the orders, we will withhold the specified accounts in India alone,” the company stated.
“X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, with potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees. The orders include demands to block access in India to accounts belonging to international news organisations and prominent X users. We have begun that process. However, we disagree with the Indian government’s demands,” the post read.
There was no immediate response from the government.
The Centre frequently flags social media accounts to X that are allegedly engaged in spreading fake news, misinformation, and anti-India propaganda. Following 'Operation Sindoor', the government has actively monitored social media platforms to identify users disseminating fabricated stories and false reports. A list of such accounts is then forwarded to the relevant intermediaries.
The company further stated that blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary but also amounts to censorship of both existing and future content, contradicting the fundamental right to free speech.
It also claimed that the Indian government had not specified which particular posts from the flagged accounts were in violation of local laws.
Explaining its decision to share details of the government’s directives publicly on X, the company stated that transparency is vital. “Lack of disclosure discourages accountability and can contribute to arbitrary decision-making,” it said.
“Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders at this time. X is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company. Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders. However, we encourage all users who are impacted by these blocking orders to seek appropriate relief,” the post further stated.
According to the statement, the company has notified affected users in accordance with its policies. “Affected users may also contact the Indian government at [cyberlaw@meity.gov.in](mailto:cyberlaw@meity.gov.in),” it added.
The '@GlobalAffairs' account is now accessible once again in India.
