India Tells Elon Musk's X to 'Follow the Law of the Land' After Platform Makes Government Content Restrictions Visible

India has instructed Elon Musk's X to follow the law of the land after the platform began making government content restrictions visible to its users. A senior official stated on Monday that greater transparency around takedown requests does not free the company from its duty to comply with Indian regulations.

The response followed Musk's weekend post declaring that 'any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible'. The development arrives as blocking directions to social media firms have climbed sharply this year.

Government Response to Visibility Changes

Musk shared the update on Saturday, noting that X users would see when authorities request the removal of a post or restrictions on an account.

The platform intends to show the government body involved and, where available, the legal grounds cited.

A government official told reporters that 'X will have to follow the law of the land'. The new approach aims to increase openness about official interventions in content moderation. Officials stressed that platforms operating in India remain bound by domestic statutes regardless of internal policy shifts.

Past exchanges between X and the authorities have centred on similar issues of free speech and compliance, including during the 2024 farmers protests when the site withheld material while publicly objecting.

The latest statement leaves little room for deviation from established procedures. Musk's announcement formed part of a broader effort to open-source elements of the recommendation algorithm.

Legal Barriers Under Indian Law

Indian rules present a particular obstacle to full disclosure. Blocking orders under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 must stay confidential under Rule 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules, which requires strict confidentiality for all requests, complaints and actions taken.

A senior IT Ministry official explained that there are two sets of processes and that orders issued specifically under 69A are intended to be maintained as confidential.

Publishing details that name accounts or reveal the existence of such an order would itself breach the mandate. Unlike systems in other countries where electoral filters list specific accounts in open code, no equivalent appears for India.

Users in the country continue to encounter content withheld without public accounting of the precise legal instruction. The government has invoked the confidentiality provision repeatedly to keep these directions secret.

Intermediaries receive notices that content is withheld in India but without naming the agency or order.

Surge in Blocking Orders Across Platforms

The transparency push coincides with a marked increase in state-backed directions. Instagram, Facebook and YouTube received nearly 195 thousand government-backed blocking directions between March and July this year, according to data accessed by one newspaper.

That equates to roughly 1,275 a day or one every 68 seconds. Instagram alone accounted for nearly half the total. The rise occurred during student protests over alleged examination irregularities at sites including Delhi's Jantar Mantar. Earlier figures showed far lower daily averages through the Sahyog portal, around six a day across 19 platforms in a previous twelve-month span.

The volume underscores the scale of content moderation demands faced by platforms operating in the country. X continues to operate under these constraints while pursuing greater openness elsewhere. The official position remains that compliance with local law takes precedence over any visibility features introduced by the company.