Elon Musk's X Clashes With Indian Government Over 'Censorship Portal': Platform's Lawyer's 'Tom, Dick And Harry' Comment Sparks Dispute

A comment made by a lawyer representing Elon Musk’s social media platform, X ,has ignited a fresh conflict between the tech giant and the Indian government.

What Happened: The lawyer, K. G. Raghavan, representing X, made a contentious statement during a court hearing in India. He stated that every “Tom, Dick, and Harry” government official had the authority to issue content takedown orders. This comment was made during a hearing on X’s challenge to a government-run website, which the company claims is a “censorship portal” allowing officials to issue content removal orders, reported Reuters.

The Indian government, however, contends that the website is simply a means to promptly inform companies of their due diligence obligations. This remark has further fueled the ongoing dispute between X and the Indian government over content removal requests.

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India is a crucial market for Musk’s various ventures, including X, Starlink, and Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA). The latter has been preparing to launch in India, with the Model Y already spotted being tested in Mumbai.

Why It Matters: This is not the first time X, previously known as Twitter, has been embroiled in a dispute over content moderation. In 2021, the company was at odds with the Indian government over non-compliance with legal orders to block certain tweets. Although X eventually complied, it remains entangled in a court battle related to this move.

Earlier this year, X faced a massive data breach that exposed the data of millions of accounts. This incident also further raises concerns over the security measures in place at X

Meanwhile, Musk’s other company, Tesla, is gearing up for its India debut, the outcome of this ongoing dispute could have significant implications for Musk’s business interests in India.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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