NEW DELHI: India’s government last week directly ordered X to block more than 2,000 accounts, including two belonging to Reuters News, the social media platform said in a sharp public attack on “ongoing press censorship” in India.
Two Reuters News accounts – @Reuters and @ReutersWorld – were suspended for India users late on Saturday, and displayed a message saying they had been “withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand”.
Reuters accounts were restored on Sunday night but the status of the others was unclear.
X’s statement contradicts comments by a spokesperson for India’s Press Information Bureau at the weekend who said no government agency had required the withholding of Reuters handles.
“On July 3, 2025, the Indian government ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including international news outlets like @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, under Section 69A of the IT Act. Non-compliance risked criminal liability,” X said in its post.
“We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders. X is exploring all legal options available,” it added.
Reuters could not determine what specific content the blocking demand referred to and why its removal was sought.
Section 69A of India’s IT law allows the government to block public access to content “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state”. Orders issued under the section are confidential in nature.–Reuters
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