Reuters’ X Account Restored in India Following Government Action

Rapid summary

• Reuters’ X (formerly Twitter) account was withheld in India for nearly 24 hours from Saturday evening (July 5, 2025) to Sunday evening (July 6, 2025).
• The message displayed on X cited a “legal demand” as the reason for withholding the account.
• The Government of India clarified it had not requested the blocking and asked X for an explanation.
• Sources claimed a previous order during Operation Sindoor in May involved requests to block accounts; though, Reuters’ handle was not blocked then.
• X appears to have mistakenly acted on that older request now. Following intervention, access to Reuters’ account was restored.
• Official handles of chinese media Global Times and Turkish TRT World were also withheld under similar conditions but deemed unnecessary by Indian officials.
• Some foreign outlets like China’s Xinhua News continued to remain accessible despite earlier inclusion in the Operation Sindoor directive.

Indian Opinion Analysis

This incident highlights potential inconsistencies in how social media platforms enforce legal orders related to content moderation or account access restrictions. Though India’s government denied initiating recent action against Reuters and other media outlets, lapses such as delayed enforcement of outdated directives can create confusion and disrupt communication channels critical for global journalism.

The restoration of Reuters’ account shows active measures taken by authorities here that respect press freedom while resolving unintended errors swiftly. Though, repeated occurrence of such blocks raises questions about openness and coordination between governments and social platforms-an issue requiring careful attention in balancing legitimate concerns with overreach prevention.

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Image source: !Reuters’ Account Withheld Notice