New Delhi: The Elon Musk-led social media company X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday shared that it has agreed to withhold specific accounts and posts linked to the farmers’ protests, in compliance with the executive orders issued by the Indian government.
However, it stressed that it disagreed with such actions on grounds of freedom of expression. “In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts.”
The Global Government Affairs further said that a writ appeal challenging the orders of the Indian government on suspension of accounts is currently under consideration.
It also urged for the public release of the order to promote transparency. “Due to legal restrictions, we are unable to publish the executive orders, but we believe that making them public is essential for transparency. This lack of disclosure can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making,” it added.
The Indian government has issued executive orders requiring X to act on specific accounts and posts, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment.
In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however,…
— Global Government Affairs (@GlobalAffairs) February 21, 2024
According to reports, the government ordered for temporary blocking of around 177 links and accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Snapchat and some other social media platforms connected to the farmers’ protests. The orders were issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology on February 14 and 19 at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs under section 69A of the IT Act.
These accounts can be restored after the farmers’ agitation is over, the PTI reported, quoting sources.
Meanwhile, the farmers’ protest has been suspended for two days after a protester died of head injury on Wednesday evening. One of the key demands of the protesting farmers is a legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP).
