X suspends Reuters account in India after 'legal demand'

NEW DELHI, July 6: The Reuters News account on X has been inaccessible to users in India since Saturday, when the social media platform suspended it in response to what it described as a “legal demand”.

A spokesperson for the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau, however, told Reuters there was no requirement from any agency in the government of India to “withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem”.

Reuters could not immediately determine what specific content the demand referred to, why its removal was sought or the entity that had lodged the complaint.

Representatives for X did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A Reuters spokesperson said in a statement, “We are working with X to resolve this matter and get Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible.”

Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency, has also been blocked in India.

The main Reuters account, followed by more than 25 million users globally, has been blocked in India since Saturday night. A note tells X users that “@Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand”.

In an email to the Reuters social media team on May 16, X said: “It is our policy to notify account holders if we receive a legal request from an authorized entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account.”

“In order to comply with X obligations under India’s local laws, we have withheld your X account in India under the country’s Information Technology Act, 2000; the content remains available elsewhere”.

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Reuters could not ascertain if the May 16 email was linked to Saturday’s account suspension.

While the email did not specify which entity had made the request or what content they sought to remove, it said X had been advised that in a case of this sort, a user could contact the secretary of India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry.

The secretary, Sanjay Jaju, did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment.

The 2000 law allows designated government officials to demand takedown of content from social media platforms they deem to violate local laws, including on the grounds of national security or if a post threatens public order.

X has long been at odds with India’s government over content-removal requests. The company sued the federal government in March over a new government website the company says expands takedown powers to “countless” government officials.

The case is continuing. India has said X wrongly labelled an official website a “censorship portal”, as the website only allows tech companies to be notified about harmful online content.