Elon Musk’s X takes the Indian government to court for digital censorship – Brand Wagon News

Social Network Platform X (previously Twitter), owned by ELON ALMIZCLEHe has presented a petition in the Superior Court of Karnataka, challenging what he calls an illegal censorship mechanism implemented by the Indian government. The company states that the Government is using section 79 (3) (b) of the Information Technology Law and the Sahyog portal to force the demolition of online content without complying with the appropriate legal procedures.

The dispute occurs after the government asked X to explain certain responses generated by its Chatbot AI, Grok. X argues that government shares violate a 2015 Supreme Court The ruling, which establishes that the online content can only be blocked through a court order or the structured process described in section 69a of the IT law. Instead, through the use of section 79 (3) (b), the company states that the Government is avoiding these legal safeguards and imposing arbitrary restrictions on digital platforms.

Legal battle on content regulation

During the initial hearing, government representatives declared that no punitive measures had been taken against X for not complying with the Sahyog portal. However, the Court granted X the right to challenge any future action taken by the authorities in this matter. The next hearing is scheduled for March 27. According to media reports, this is not the first time that X has taken legal actions against Indian content regulation policies. In 2022, the company questioned the elimination orders issued under section 69a, arguing that they lacked transparency and violated the rights of freedom of expression.

Concern about the Sahyog portal

An important aspect of the request of X focuses on the Sahyog portal, a platform managed by the government that allows several agencies and the State Police to request the elimination of content directly. X argues that this system effectively creates an alternative censorship mechanism, which allows the authorities to order the demolition without the supervision or procedure requirements ordered by law.

The company also opposes the government’s demand that designates a “nodal official” dedicated to facilitate compliance with the portal directives. X argues that this requirement has no legal basis and imposes undue loads in social media companies.

Grok AI in the center of the controversy

The legal dispute has earned more attention due to the chatbot of ia of X, Grok, which has been criticized for generating politically sensitive and inflammatory responses. Unlike many AI models that experience a rigorous moderation of content, it is considered that Grok has fewer restrictions, which makes their answers unpredictable. Critics argue that this lack of supervision could lead to the spread of deceptive or offensive content, which raises concerns about the governance responsible for AI. However, X argues that any regulatory action must follow due legal process and cannot be applied arbitrarily.

X seeks judicial protection

In his request, X has urged the court to intervene and avoid what the Government sees as overreach. According to media reports, the company requests that the court:

• Declare that section 79 (3) (b) does not give government authority to issue content elimination orders.
• Invalidate all demolition requests issued under this provision.
• Temporarily stop any application of the orders of the Sahyog portal until the case is resolved.
• Strengthen section 69A as the only legal framework for blocking online content.

This case is expected to have long -range implications for digital governance in India, establishing a precedent on how online platforms interact with government regulations.