X’s Global Affairs Account Withheld by India

Amid escalating tensions with Pakistan, X confirms Indian government sought to restrict thousands of accounts—including those of media outlets and influencers.

May 9, 2025: The Indian government has ordered the withholding of the Global Affairs account of X (formerly Twitter) in India, just hours after the Elon Musk-owned platform revealed it was asked to block over 8,000 user accounts. The move comes against the backdrop of surging military hostilities between India and Pakistan following the launch of Operation Sindoor by India.

As of Friday morning, @GlobalAffairs—the account that shares policy updates from X’s public policy team—displays a message reading, “@GlobalAffairs has been withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”

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This development follows X’s statement on Thursday, where the platform disclosed receiving executive orders from the Indian government. These directives allegedly demanded the blocking of access to over 8,000 accounts within India, including those operated by prominent users and international news outlets. The company noted that non-compliance could result in severe penalties, including potential imprisonment of local staff and substantial fines.

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“X has received executive orders from the Indian government requiring X to block over 8,000 accounts in India, subject to potential penalties including significant fines and imprisonment of the company’s local employees,” the company said in a statement.

Despite raising concerns over the opacity of the orders, X has chosen to comply—stating the decision was made to ensure continued platform accessibility in the country.

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“Keeping the platform accessible in India is vital to Indians’ ability to access information,” said X, adding that the inability to publish these government orders inhibits transparency and could foster arbitrary governance.

The timing of this development coincides with intensifying cross-border conflict. Pakistan launched a wave of drone and missile attacks across at least 15 Indian cities on Thursday night, including Jammu, Srinagar, Amritsar, and Chandigarh. All of Pakistan’s attempts were reportedly thwarted by India’s air defence systems.

As geopolitical tensions escalate, India’s digital crackdown appears aimed at curbing misinformation and foreign influence online, though it has raised concerns about press freedom and digital rights.

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