Social media platform X has begun blocking access to more than 8,000 accounts in India after receiving executive orders from the Indian government. The orders included threats of heavy fines and possible jail time for the company’s local staff if it failed to comply.
The directive affects a wide range of accounts, including those belonging to international news outlets and prominent users. X, formerly known as Twitter, said it had no choice but to comply to avoid a broader shutdown of the platform in India.
“This is not an easy decision,” X said in a statement shared on its Global Government Affairs account. “However, keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information.”
X criticised the government’s lack of transparency and said many of the orders did not specify what content had violated Indian law. “In most cases, the Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated local laws,” the company said. “For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block them.”
The company described the action as censorship and said blocking entire accounts has broad consequences. “Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, it amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,” it said.
Legal restrictions prevent X from publishing the government orders. Still, it urged authorities to make the directives public to ensure transparency. “Lack of disclosure discourages accountability and can contribute to arbitrary decision making,” the statement said.
X has notified affected users and encouraged them to seek legal help. The company shared contact details of legal aid groups such as iProbono India and the National Legal Services Authority.
While exploring its limited legal options, X acknowledged that Indian law restricts the company from directly challenging the orders. “Unlike users located in India, X is restricted by Indian law in its ability to bring legal challenges against these executive orders,” the company said.