Reuters’ X account restored in India after suspension over legal demand
Sign up now: Get insights on Asia's fast-moving developments
Besides the Reuters News account, Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency that was blocked in India, was also restored late on July 6.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
- Reuters' X account was suspended in India due to a "legal demand" but was restored on July 6, following government intervention.
- The Indian government's Press Information Bureau stated they didn't request the suspension and were resolving the issue with X.
- Reuters couldn't determine the specific content, reason for removal, or the entity behind the demand, despite X's May 16 email.
AI generated
NEW DELHI – The Reuters News account on X was restored in India on July 6, a day after the social media platform suspended it, citing a legal demand.
“At this time, we are no longer withholding access in India to your account,” X said in an e-mail to the Reuters social media team, without elaborating.
Representatives of X, Reuters and the Indian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the restoration of the account.
Earlier on July 6, a spokesperson for the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau told Reuters that no Indian government agency had required withholding the Reuters handle, adding that officials were working with X to resolve the problem.
A Reuters spokesperson had said the agency was working with X to resolve this matter and get the Reuters account reinstated in India as soon as possible.
Reuters World, another X account operated by the news agency that was blocked in India, was also restored late on July 6.
The main Reuters account, which has more than 25 million followers globally, had been blocked in India since the night of July 5. A notice told X users that “@Reuters has been withheld in (India) in response to a legal demand”.
In an e-mail 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 authorised entity (such as law enforcement or a government agency) to remove content from their account.”
It added: “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.”
Reuters could not ascertain if the May 16 e-mail was linked to the July 5 account suspension nor could it determine what specific content the demand referred to, why its removal was sought, or the entity that had lodged the complaint.
While the e-mail did not specify which entity had made the request or what content the entity sought to remove, it said X had been advised that in such cases, a user could contact the secretary of India’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry.
The secretary, Mr Sanjay Jaju, did not respond to requests seeking comment.
The 2000 law allows designated government officials to demand the 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. In March, the company sued the federal government over a new government website that 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 allows only tech companies to be notified about harmful online content. REUTERS
