X, formerly Twitter, appeals court ruling on content blocking orders

Social media platform X has sought to quash an Indian court decision that found it non-compliant with content removal orders, arguing the ruling could embolden the government to block more content.

X, formerly known as Twitter, in July 2022 sought to overturn some government orders to remove content from its platform, without specifying which. A court in June 2023 quashed that request and imposed a fine of 5 million rupees ($60,560).

If X’s appeal is rejected, the government “will be emboldened to issue more blocking orders” that violate law, said X’s 96 page filing submitted by local law firm Poovayya & Co.

X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said in the filing there must be “discernible parameters” on what mandates the blocking of an entire account instead of a specific post, otherwise the government’s “power to censor future content is untrammeled”.

X in previous years has been asked by Indian authorities to act on content including accounts deemed supportive of an independent Sikh state, posts alleged to have spread misinformation about protests by farmers, and tweets critical of the government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.