Reuters X Accounts Blocked in India
The accounts of Reuters and Reuters World have been blocked in India since Saturday evening. The message displayed when attempting to access the international news agency’s handles indicated that “@Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.” However, an official spokesperson from the IT ministry clarified that there is no such requirement from the government to withhold Reuters’ handle. They are actively working with X to resolve the issue.
Clarification by IT Ministry
People within the IT ministry familiar with the matter suggested that it appeared to be a technical issue. During Operation Sindoor, a high-stakes military engagement between India and Pakistan, the government issued over 8,000 orders to X to block access to several accounts. However, it was stated by an IT ministry official that no blocking orders for Reuters were sent.
Despite this, it seems that X has taken action on the request and arbitrarily blocked Reuters’ X handle last night. The government has sent a written response asking X to provide an explanation for the blocking and lift the embargo.
Recent Blocks and Unblocks
The blocking of Reuters’ accounts on X comes shortly after the temporary unblocking of YouTube and Instagram accounts belonging to Pakistani celebrities and news channels due to a “technical error.” Subsequently, these accounts were re-blocked.
This incident coincides with a case at the Karnataka high court where X is challenging the Indian government’s content blocking mechanism, particularly the utilization of section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act and the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre’s Sahyog Portal.
Legal Proceedings
During a hearing at the Karnataka high court on July 1, X’s counsel argued against the delegation of content takedown powers to various government entities, stating it had been delegated to virtually “every Tom, Dick, and Harry.” This statement by senior advocate KG Raghavan was met with strong opposition from the Union government’s counsel. The next hearing for this case is scheduled for July 8.
Current Accessibility of Reuters Accounts
While Reuters and Reuters World accounts remain accessible outside India, the Reuters website is still accessible within the country. Other related accounts like Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, Reuters Science News, and Reuters Business are also accessible in India at present.
