X to block over 8,000 accounts in India after government order

New Delhi, May 9 Billionaire Elon Musk-led social media platform X on Thursday said the Indian government has asked it to block more than 8,000 accounts in the country for violating laws, and it will comply with the law of the land.

While the platform did not specify names of the accounts, it includes "international news organisations and prominent X users", the media platform shared in a statement.

The move comes amid the India-Pakistan conflict, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, which has seen an increase in misinformation.

"X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees," the statement said.

The statement said that the government did not specify which posts have violated laws.

"For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts," X said, noting that it will comply with the order and "withhold" the accounts only in India.

Calling the decision "not easy", X said it has initiated process and sent the affected users "notice of the actions".

It also expressed disagreement with the Indian government’s demands over blocking entire accounts.

"It amounts to censorship of existing and future content and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech," the statement said.

X said the platform is vital to Indians’ ability to access information.

"We believe that making these executive orders public is essential for transparency -- lack of disclosure discourages accountability and can contribute to arbitrary decision making. However, due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders at this time," the statement said.

The Musk led company said it is exploring all possible legal avenues available to the company.

It also encouraged the impacted users "to seek appropriate relief from the courts".

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