X will appeal Indian court ruling allowing ‘arbitrary takedown orders’
X is challenging an Indian court order it says would require it to comply with millions of takedown requests without due process. In a statement, the company said it was “deeply concerned” about the ruling, which allows police officers “to issue arbitrary takedown orders through a secretive online portal” called the Sahyog.
X’s challenge comes after the Karnataka High Court dismissed X’s initial challenge of the Sahyog portal last week. As the BBC notes, the Sahyog “describes itself as a tool to automate the process of sending government notices to content intermediaries such as X and Facebook.” But X has labeled it a “censorship portal,” saying that it allows “millions” of officials, including local police officers, to order content to be removed.
“The Sahyog enables officers to order content removal based solely on allegations of ‘illegality,’ without judicial review or due process for the speakers, and threatens platforms with criminal liability for non-compliance,” X wrote in a statement. “We will appeal this order to defend free expression.”
X has a history of challenging the Indian government on content moderation issues. The company previously challenged orders requiring it to block specific posts and accounts in 2024 and 2022. The platform also clashed with the Indian government under Jack Dorsey’s leadership. Officials threatened to jail Twitter employees in 2021 after the company reversed a decision to block accounts amid widespread protests.
