Key Points
- Social media platform X is appealing a new court order in India. The order would allow millions of police officers to demand the takedown of content.
- The requests would be made through a secretive online portal called Sahyog.
- X stated it is appealing the decision to “defend free expression.”
- The move raises significant concerns about potential widespread censorship in India.
Social media platform X announced on Monday that it will appeal a recent court order in India, which grants millions of police officers the power to demand content be taken down through a secretive online portal. The company stated it is taking legal action to “defend free expression.”
At the heart of the dispute is a system called the Sahyog portal. This new online platform would grant millions of police officers across the country the ability to issue takedown requests that X describes as “arbitrary.”
The sheer scale of the system raises concerns about how a company like X could review such a high volume of demands, leading to fears that it could become a massive censorship machine with little to no public oversight.
Critics worry this could create a system ripe for abuse, potentially targeting political dissent, journalism, or any content deemed inconvenient by local authorities.
In a post on its own platform, X declared its intention to fight back, setting up a major legal showdown with the Indian government. The court order represents a significant challenge for global tech companies operating in India, one of the world’s largest internet markets.
If upheld, the system could force platforms like X to either comply with a flood of potentially politically motivated takedown requests or risk legal penalties. Free speech advocates warn that such a system could have a chilling effect on online discourse, making users afraid to voice their opinions for fear of being silenced without a clear legal process.
