New Delhi: The Indian Government has blocked accounts of the Turkish international broadcaster including several other competing news organizations and famous personalities on X (Formerly Twitter). Since the regional situation aggravated after Pakistan conducted retaliatory drone and missile strikes, which it described as in return for what it claimed as unprovoked Indian military action, and overland issues, this blocking was in the air.
According to X, Indian authorities did not detail which content from the banned accounts violated local laws. Although leaving unclear, X stated it would comply by withholding the mentioned accounts only in India but added that it disagrees with the government’s directive and called it censorship to the detriment of free speech.
It goes on to be a stronger fit of the China-Tibet model of digital blackout in India, especially during moments of conflict or civil strife. The blocking order was issued under India’s IT laws, through which the government can take down content which it regards as threatening to national security or public order.
This has now ignited the debate on matters of transparency and press freedom, where critics now say that such blanket bans on news outlets are nothing but silencing the channels for critical information to reach the public. X confirmed that it would continue to fight the order in the appropriate legal and diplomatic channels and keep notifying the affected account holders.
It is an increasing tension between government regulations and platform accountability, and denotes a larger question for free expression in a digital world.
[Source Credit: Business Recorder]
