Elon Musk’s Social Media Platform, X, Challenges Indian Court Orders on Content Blocking, Citing Threats to Freedom of Expression
Global, 3rd August 2023: Elon Musk’s social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter), is taking a firm stance against Indian court orders that deemed it non-compliant with government requests to remove specific content from its platform. The company argues that the court’s ruling could lead to more content blocking and censorship by the Indian government.
X filed a request to overturn government orders to remove certain content in July 2022, but the court denied it in June 2023 and imposed a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,560) on the platform. However, X remains determined and has now submitted a 96-page appeal through the local law firm Poovayya & Co to the Karnataka High Court. The appeal highlights concerns that upholding the ruling may open the door to more blocking orders in the future, potentially infringing on freedom of expression.
It’s important to note that the current lawsuit predates Elon Musk’s ownership of X. Nevertheless, as the company’s owner, Musk is involved in various business ventures in India, including discussions about investing in an electric vehicle factory and seeking market entry for his satellite broadband firm, SpaceX.
X argues for clear guidelines on content blocking, emphasizing the need for “discernible parameters.” They believe there should be clarity on when an entire account is blocked versus specific posts to prevent unregulated government censorship.
In the past, Indian authorities have asked X to take action on content related to various topics, such as accounts supporting an independent Sikh state, posts accused of spreading misinformation about farmer protests, and critical tweets about the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court hearings for this appeal are expected to take place within a few days after the filing’s submission.
As X continues to challenge the court’s ruling, content moderation and freedom of expression remain significant concerns in the Indian social media landscape. The outcome of this appeal will likely have broader implications for how social media platforms operate in the country and the extent of government intervention in content censorship.
