BENGALURU/NEW DELHI (Reuters) -An Indian court rejected a legal challenge by Elon Musk’s X against the country’s content moderation mechanism, dealing a setback to the social media firm in one of its biggest markets.
Filed in March, the company’s case against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government in the Karnataka High Court had targeted the entire basis for tightened internet regulation in India.
“Every platform that seeks to operate within the jurisdiction of our nation, which they do, must accept that liberty is yoked with responsibility and the privilege of access carries with it the solemn duty of accountability,” senior judge M Nagaprasanna said, as he ruled that the petition lacked merit.
A representative for X in India did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the ruling.
Since 2023, India has ramped up efforts to police the internet by allowing many more officials to file takedown orders and to submit them directly to tech firms through a government website launched in October.
X had argued that India’s actions are illegal and unconstitutional, and that they trample free speech by empowering scores of government agencies and thousands of police to suppress what it argued constituted legitimate criticism of public officials.
In response, the government said that its approach tackled a proliferation of unlawful content and ensured accountability online, adding that many tech companies including Meta and Google support its actions.
(Reporting by Arpan Chaturvedi and Munsif Vengattil; Editing by Joe Bavier and Sharon Singleton)
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