X blocks Reuters accounts in India

Users in India have found themselves unable to access the main Reuters news account and the Reuters World account on the X platform since Saturday evening. When Indian users attempt to view the @Reuters account, which boasts 25 million followers, they are met with a notification stating that the account has been withheld in India due to a legal demand. In response to this situation, a spokesperson from the Indian government clarified that no official agency has issued such a demand. Meanwhile, a representative from Reuters confirmed that the news organization is actively collaborating with X to address the issue. The situation is further complicated by a prior notification received by Reuters' social media team from X in May, indicating that content was being withheld at the request of the Indian government. However, that communication did not clarify which government agency had made the request or the specific content affected. The platform, previously known as Twitter and now merged with Elon Musk's xAI, has expressed its discontent with the Indian government's demands for account and content removals. The company even initiated legal action against the government in March, alleging that a newly established website facilitates excessive censorship of information in India by allowing numerous public officials to remove content or block accounts unlawfully. The government maintained that this website's purpose is merely to inform companies about harmful online material. In the past, X has faced significant challenges in other countries, including a lengthy conflict with Brazil’s Supreme Court that resulted in the temporary suspension of its operations there. TechCrunch has reached out to X for further comments on this developing situation.