Indian Government Clarifies No Order to Withhold Reuters Account on X

Clarification from the Indian Government

On Sunday, the Indian government stated that there is no directive to restrict the Reuters account on the social media platform X. An official from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) confirmed, "The Government of India has not mandated the withholding of the Reuters handle. We are actively collaborating with X to address the issue."

Current Status of the Reuters Account

Currently, users in India are unable to access the Reuters account on X, receiving a notification that the account has been withheld due to a legal demand. The message displayed reads, "Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand."

Similar Cases with Other Accounts

Other accounts, such as Turkiye's TRT and China's Global Times, have also faced similar restrictions, displaying the same "account withheld" message. According to X's help center, such notifications indicate that the platform was required to restrict access to the account or specific posts due to a legitimate legal request, which could include a court order or compliance with local laws.

Understanding the Withholding Message

X elaborates that if users encounter this message, it signifies that content has been withheld in accordance with local laws following a report submitted through designated support channels.