Musk’s X Takes On India Court Over Content Blocking Decrees
Social media platform X is attempting to overturn a court ruling in India that deemed it non-compliant with content removal orders. The platform argues that this decision may empower the government to further restrict content access.
X, formerly known as Twitter, tried in July 2022 to overturn some government orders to remove content from its platform, without specifying which ones. In June 2023, the court overturned the request and imposed a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,560).
If X’s appeal is dismissed, the government will be “emboldened to issue more restraining orders” that violate the law, said X’s 96-page filing, which was filed by local law firm Poovayya & Co.
X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said the application must have “observable parameters” for what would determine the entire account to be shut down, rather than a specific post, otherwise the government’s “power to censor future content will be unfettered.”
Indian authorities have in previous years asked X to take action over content, including accounts deemed supportive of an independent Sikh state, posts allegedly spreading misinformation about farmers’ protests and tweets critical of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
($1 = 82.5625 INR)
