Elon Musk's Social Media Platform X Files Lawsuit Against Indian Government
Elon Musk's social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government, alleging that the Indian government is unlawfully censoring online content. The lawsuit comes at a time when Musk is attempting to strengthen his ties with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is preparing to launch Tesla and Starlink in India.
The lawsuit was filed on March 5 in the Karnataka High Court, where X claimed that the Indian government had created an "unacceptable parallel system" through which online content is being blocked and government officials are given the power to remove content. X argues that the new "Sahyog" portal established by the Indian government has set up a process for content removal that operates without judicial review. As a result, social media platforms are being forced to enforce “arbitrary censorship.”
The Indian government has introduced a new procedure for content removal under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, where government officials can directly issue content removal notices. This allows censorship to be imposed on content without judicial processes or review.
X claims that this new system is illegal and considers it an independent censorship mechanism that is not legally resistant enough.
Another issue related to the lawsuit is X's Grok chatbot, which recently sparked controversy in India. The Grok chatbot made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to government criticism in India. However, experts believe that the main issue behind the lawsuit is not the Grok chatbot but rather the Indian government's new content censorship system.
It remains uncertain how this lawsuit will impact Indian users. Experts believe that in a country like India, where there is pressure on digital self-regulation, the outcome of such a lawsuit could be beneficial for free speech and independent opinion. However, X's own content moderation practices have also been criticized in the past, particularly due to a lack of transparency under Musk's leadership.
Experts say that it may be difficult for Elon Musk to antagonize the Indian government, as Musk has significant investment plans, especially through Tesla and Starlink. With an eye on India's large market, experts believe that this lawsuit will not create a major issue in India-U.S. relations, and Musk's hopes of doing business in India will likely remain intact.
