HighLights
  1. The centre mandates X to follow Indian laws.
  2. X introduces a rule for visible government censorship.
  3. India sees a surge in content blocking orders.

The Centre on Monday said that the social media platform “X” will have to follow the “law of the land" as the Elon Musk-owned platform introduced a new rule, making government-driven restrictions more visible to viewers.

Sharing a post on X, multi-billionaire Elon Musk said, “Any censorship required by governments is now clearly visible.” The rule said that from now onwards users will be able to see when a government seeks the removal of a post or asks the platform to impose restrictions on an account.

The platform also intends to provide greater visibility into the government agencies making such requests and, where available, the legal grounds or justification cited for seeking the action.

The X owner’s latest move underlines a part of a greater push to ensure much transparency for users about which content and accounts the government finds appropriate for social media. It comes against the backdrop of a significant increase in government orders directing social media platforms to block content in India.

ALSO READ: ‘I’m Not Racist’: Elon Musk Says Partner Is Half-Indian, Claims Tesla Offers Roles To All ‘Races’

Centre ordered blocking of several content pieces in last five months

According to an Indian Express report, the Centre has ordered the blocking of nearly 1.95 lakh pieces of content on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube between March and July this year. That works out to around 1,275 directions a day, approximately one every 68 seconds.

Recommended For You

The five-month period coincided with several developments, including student protests over alleged examination leaks at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. The demonstrations began in early June and were called off on July 25.

ALSO READ: Elon Musk Becomes World’s First Trillionaire As SpaceX Debuts In Historic $75B IPO

The latest figures represent a substantial increase compared with the previous year. RTI records obtained by The Indian Express showed that 2,312 blocking orders were issued to 19 online platforms through the Sahyog portal between October 2024 and October 2025. That amounted to an average of around six orders a day.


Also In News