Musk’s X Sues Indian Government Over Content Takedown Orders Amid Starlink, Tesla Expansion
- tech360.tv
- 23 hours ago
- 2 min read
Elon Musk’s social media platform X has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government, accusing it of misusing censorship laws through a new digital portal as Musk’s other ventures, Starlink and Tesla, prepare to enter the Indian market.
The case, filed in the southern state of Karnataka, challenges the federal government’s use of the Sahyog portal, which X claims allows officials to issue arbitrary content takedown orders without following due legal procedures.
X argues that the portal violates India’s digital laws by bypassing safeguards such as prior notice, hearings, and review mechanisms. The company said it cannot be compelled to join what it called a “censorship portal.”
The Indian government maintains that Sahyog is necessary to manage the growing volume of harmful online content. It said the platform automates the process of sending notices to intermediaries like X and Facebook.
Other major U.S. tech firms, including Amazon, Google, and Meta, have agreed to participate in Sahyog.
The lawsuit follows a directive from India’s railway ministry ordering X to remove hundreds of posts, including videos of a deadly crowd crush in Delhi that killed 18 people during the Kumbh Mela religious gathering.
X claims that “countless” officials, including “tens of thousands of local police officers,” are issuing takedown orders unilaterally through legal provisions that lack safeguards.
In court, the Indian government argued that it is issuing notices, not blocking orders, and that its actions are lawful.
Apar Gupta of the Internet Freedom Foundation said the case is of “vital importance” due to what he described as a “wholesale increase in censorship” through the Sahyog portal.
This is not the first legal clash between X and the Indian government. In 2022, the company sued over content blocking orders related to a year-long farmers’ protest, but the court ruled against X and imposed a fine of 5 million rupees (USD 58,000).
X, under Musk’s leadership, is appealing that decision in the Karnataka High Court. During the appeal, India labelled X a “habitual non-compliant platform.”
India is also investigating X’s chatbot Grok for allegedly using inappropriate language and making politically sensitive comments.
The lawsuit comes as Musk’s other companies expand into India. In March, Starlink signed agreements with two major Indian telecom firms to bring satellite internet to the country and is awaiting regulatory approval.
Tesla has begun hiring for positions in Delhi and Mumbai and is reportedly searching for showroom locations in both cities.
Musk met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a visit to the White House last month.
X has sued the Indian government over alleged misuse of censorship laws via the Sahyog portal
The lawsuit follows takedown orders related to a deadly incident at the Kumbh Mela
India argues Sahyog is necessary to manage harmful online content
Source: BBC