X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, has blocked access to two of Reuters’ accounts in India. This action is an alarming act of censorship and attack on freedom of expression. As of Saturday evening, users in India have been unable to reach the central Reuters news bureau account. Further, their access to the Reuters World account is blocked too. This action follows X’s lawsuit against the Indian government in March, where it claimed that a new website allows “unrestrained censorship of information in India.”
The social media giant argues that the website unlawfully enables “countless” public officials to take down content or block accounts without due process. This decision, along with the ambiguity of its implementation, has generated considerable outrage. This underscores the continuing struggle between X and various governments around the globe over content moderation.
An Indian government spokesperson stated that no government agency has asked to shut the accounts down. This suggests that the limitations may be due to X’s internal policies rather than an active governmental intervention.
“working with X to resolve this matter” – Reuters spokesperson
This new turn of events comes on the heels of X’s recent legal troubles. Last year, the platform went through a months-long battle with Brazil’s Supreme Court, which required it to temporarily suspend operations in Brazil for more than a month. Yet still, X experienced severe pushback from Brazilian authorities, underscoring its difficulty complying across the world’s different, international legal jurisdictions.
We’re thrilled to be welcoming Anthony Ha, who has recently joined TechCrunch’s weekend editor and has a wealth of experience to the journalism world. Prior to that, he was a senior editor at. He’s served as a technology reporter at Adweek. Before joining Center for Community Technology, he was a local government reporter for the Hollister Free Lance. Later on, he did a stint as vice president of content for a venture capital firm. Currently residing in New York City, Ha’s insights into media and technology make him a key voice in discussions surrounding digital communication platforms.
Despite these manifest hardships, X is still intent on pushing the envelope at least a bit on content moderation and government requests. The platform’s actions and subsequent legal battles will likely continue to shape its operations in countries like India, where regulatory environments are increasingly complex.
