Saturday, March 29, 2025
Reuters’ X Account Blocked in India; Reason Still Unclear, Centre Seeks Clarification
The social media platform X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, has blocked the official X account of news agency Reuters in India. The reason cited by the platform is a “legal demand,” though no specific clarification has been provided. Government sources, however, have denied issuing any new legal request against the Reuters account and have sought an explanation from X regarding this unexpected action.
According to sources, the blocking of Reuters’ account appears to be linked to an older directive issued during “Operation Sindoor.” At that time, requests were made to block several accounts, including Reuters’, but the agency’s account was not taken down then. Now, X has seemingly enforced that older order, even though the matter is no longer relevant.
A notice displayed on the platform stated that Reuters’ handle was blocked in India due to legal reasons. However, the Government of India has questioned the timing and necessity of this move. Officials have reached out to X, requesting the immediate removal of the restriction and a detailed explanation for enforcing an outdated order.
A senior government source commented, “An order was issued on May 7 during Operation Sindoor, requesting the blocking of multiple accounts, including Reuters. No action was taken back then. It seems X has now acted on that order by mistake. We have contacted them to lift the block as soon as possible.”
The move has raised concerns about transparency in the enforcement of content restrictions on social media platforms, particularly involving international news agencies.
