X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, has taken a stance against Indian court rulings that declared it non-compliant with government orders to remove specific content from its platform. The company argues that the court ruling could pave the way for increased content blocking and censorship by the Indian government.
In July 2022, X sought to overturn government orders to remove certain content from its platform. However, a court ruling in June 2023 denied the request and imposed a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,560) on the platform. Undeterred, X has now filed an appeal against this decision, submitting a 96-page filing through the local law firm Poovayya & Co at the Karnataka High Court. The filing argues that if the court ruling is upheld, the government might issue more blocking orders in the future, potentially violating freedom of expression laws.
The current lawsuit predates Elon Musk’s ownership of X. However, as the company’s owner, Musk is involved in various business ventures in India. He is in discussions about investing in an electric vehicle factory in the country and is seeking market entry for his satellite broadband firm, SpaceX.
X emphasizes the need for “discernible parameters” on content blocking, arguing that there should be clear guidelines on when an entire account is blocked versus specific posts. Without such guidelines, the government’s power to censor content could become unregulated.
In the past, Indian authorities have requested X to take action on content related to various topics, including accounts supporting an independent Sikh state, posts accused of spreading misinformation about farmer protests, and tweets critical of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The court hearings for this appeal are expected to be held within several days after the filing’s submission.
As X continues to challenge the court’s ruling, the issue of content moderation and freedom of expression remains a significant concern 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.
