Centre tells X it must follow Indian laws despite takedown transparency push

NEW DELHI: Transparency may be trending, but India’s rulebook still stands. The Centre has said Elon Musk-owned social media platform X will have to comply with Indian laws even as it moves to make government-directed content takedown requests more visible to users.

The government’s response follows Musk’s announcement that X is changing how it communicates government-mandated censorship actions on the platform. Under the new approach, users would be able to see more clearly when a government authority has sought the removal of a post or restrictions on an account.

A government official told PTI that the platform’s approach to communicating such requests would not alter its statutory obligations in India.

“X will have to follow the law of the land,” the official said.

Over the weekend, Musk said X had introduced a system under which “any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible”. The move is intended to give users greater visibility into restrictions imposed at the request of government authorities.

Under the proposed transparency measures, users could be informed when a government agency seeks to remove content or restrict an account. X is also expected to identify the department or authority behind the request and, where available, provide the legal basis cited for the action.

Transparency versus compliance

The initiative is part of Musk’s broader push to increase transparency around content moderation and platform governance since his acquisition of Twitter, which was subsequently rebranded as X.

Musk has repeatedly argued that users should have greater visibility into how content is moderated, restricted and distributed on the platform.

The latest move comes amid continuing disagreements between governments and social media platforms worldwide over content regulation, freedom of expression and user rights.

In India, online intermediaries are required to comply with provisions under the Information Technology Act and associated rules governing content moderation and takedown requests.

The government’s response makes clear that greater disclosure around government requests will not change those obligations.

For X, the move could make content restrictions more transparent to users while leaving the platform to navigate the legal requirements of each market in which it operates.

The episode underlines a familiar fault line in the social media business: platforms may want to show users who is asking for content to come down, while governments continue to insist that local law determines when it must.