Social Media Platform X Defies Govt. Order on Farmers’ Protest

• ByStartupStory     |    February 22, 2024

Sources reveal that the Ministry of Electronics and IT directed social media platforms to temporarily block 177 accounts associated with farmers’ protests at the behest of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Expressing dissent, Social Media Platform X disagrees with the Indian government’s directive to block accounts and posts related to ongoing farmers’ protests, advocating for the extension of freedom of expression to the affected content.

“In compliance with the orders, we will withhold these accounts and posts in India alone; however, we disagree with these actions and maintain that freedom of expression should extend to these posts,” stated X in a post.

Although a writ appeal challenging the government’s blocking orders is pending, X urges for the public disclosure of the order to enhance transparency.

“This lack of disclosure can lead to a lack of accountability and arbitrary decision-making,” X emphasized regarding the importance of making the orders public.

X has notified impacted users about the government actions in accordance with its policies.

Farmers nationwide continue their protests, advocating for demands such as legal guarantees for minimum support price (MSP) for crops and farm debt waivers.

Amidst escalating tensions, farmer leaders temporarily halted their march to the National Capital after clashes resulted in casualties and injuries on the Punjab-Haryana border.

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