‘We disagree with actions’: X claims Centre issued ‘executive orders’ to withhold accounts amid farmers’ protest

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter on Thursday said that the Centre has issued “executive orders” to withhold some accounts and posts in India, which it “disagrees” with, while asserting that “freedom of expression should extend to these posts”.

The Centre is yet to respond to the accusations.

The global government affairs team of X, in a post past midnight said, “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, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts,” it added.

It also said that “consistent” with its position, a writ appeal challenging the Indian government’s blocking orders remains pending.

Further, the users whose accounts and posts have been withheld have also been notified.

“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 said.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had ordered temporary blocking of around 177 social media accounts and web links that are linked to the farmers’ protest, PTI had reported, citing sources. The and accounts of Facebook, Instagram, X, Snapchat and some other social media platforms have been ordered to be blocked.

The orders were issued on February 14 and 19 at the request of the Ministry of Home Affairs under section 69A of the IT Act.