India Criticizes Elon Musk's X Over 'Censorship Portal' Label Dispute

India has condemned Elon Musk's X for labelling an official website as a 'censorship portal.' The site is meant to notify tech companies about harmful content. A legal battle is brewing as India disputes X's claims, asserting the site merely informs firms of their compliance duties.

India has voiced strong objections to Elon Musk's X for inaccurately referring to an official government website as a 'censorship portal.' This site is designed to alert technology companies about harmful online content, as revealed in court documents reviewed on a recent Friday.

The dispute marks a significant escalation in legal tensions between X and the Indian government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. At the heart of the matter is how content removal is ordered in the country. This courtroom clash arises as Musk prepares to introduce two of his ventures, Starlink and Tesla, to the burgeoning Indian market.

Responding to X's recent lawsuit on March 5, filed in Karnataka, the Indian IT ministry rebuked the use of the term 'censorship portal.' They assert that X's concerns are unfounded, emphasizing that the government's website only aims to inform tech firms of their legal obligations without issuing any content-blocking orders. Meanwhile, X argues that India's expanded censorship capabilities pose significant risks to online freedom.

(With inputs from agencies.)