India orders X to block 8,000 accounts

KARACHI: The social media platform X said on Thursday it is complying with Indian government orders to block over 8,000 accounts in the country. The directive, issued under India’s information technology laws, threatens significant fines and potential jail time for X’s local employees should the company fail to comply.

The blocking orders, which X disclosed on Thursday, target a broad range of accounts, including those belonging to international news organisations and prominent users. X said it had begun withholding the specified accounts in India, but criticised the government’s demands.

“Blocking entire accounts is not only unnecessary, but it also amounts to censorship of existing and future content, and is contrary to the fundamental right of free speech,” the company said in a statement posted on X.

X revealed that in many instances, India provided no explanation of what specific content had violated local laws.

Despite voicing its objections, X said it had no choice but to comply to keep the platform accessible in the country. “This is not an easy decision,” it said. “However, keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information.”

X stressed that it is exploring all available legal avenues to challenge the orders but noted that its own ability to mount legal challenges is limited by Indian law. The company urged affected users to seek legal relief independently and said it had provided notice to all impacted account holders. The platform also called for greater transparency, saying it was unable to publish the executive orders due to legal restrictions. “We believe that making these executive orders public is essential for transparency -- lack of disclosure discourages accountability and can contribute to arbitrary decision making,” it said.

Pakistani authorities lifted a year-long ban on X on Wednesday, hours after India’s airstrikes hit several areas in Pakistan. Since then, many users based in Pakistan have been actively debunking Indian propaganda, sharing the on-ground situation on the platform.