X has blocked the Reuters news and Reuters World accounts in India. According to The Print, the platform did this “in response to a legal demand.” Despite the block, Reuters’ website and 30 other Reuters X handles remain accessible.
Many Indian users posted screenshots to show they couldn’t view the accounts. Reuters has not yet released a statement about the restriction. Meanwhile, India Today reached out to India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
The ministry denied issuing any such order to X. “There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem,” a MeitY spokesperson told India Today.
The Print noted that X usually shares legal enforcement updates on its Global Government Affairs handle. However, the handle has stayed silent on this issue. This silence raised more doubts about the origin of the block.
As of yet, The Hindustan Times pointed to a possible reason. In an Instagram post, it linked the restriction to Operation Sindoor. During that operation, India launched missiles at sites in Pakistan in May.
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According to the post, X may have acted under government orders during that time. Yet, the government has not confirmed any such directive. Confusion continues as no party takes clear responsibility.
Earlier, on May 8, X had confirmed receiving government orders to block 8,000+ accounts. “In most cases, the Indian government has not specified which posts from an account have violated India’s local laws,” the company stated. “For a significant number of accounts, we did not receive any evidence or justification to block the accounts.”
Reuters has not commented publicly. Meanwhile, both the platform and the government appear to shift the blame. As a result, users remain in the dark about what truly happened.
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