Reuters' X account block: what just happened?
Let's dig into the details. On July 5th, international news agency Reuters had its X accounts @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, blocked in India. A message on X said the accounts were withheld 'in response to a legal demand.' And it wasn't just Reuters. The X accounts of Chinese newspaper Global Times and Turkish public broadcaster TRT World were also withheld in India.
When questions started surfacing, a spokesperson from Press Information Bureau told Reuters that no Indian agency had asked for their account to be withheld and added that officials were working with X to resolve the problem. And just 24 hours later, the accounts were restored.
Meanwhile, X In a post on its Global Government Affairs handle, stated: On July 3, 2025, the Indian government ordered X to block 2,355 accounts in India, including international news outlets like @Reuters and @ReutersWorld, under Section 69A of the IT Act. Non-compliance risked criminal liability. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology demanded immediate action- within one hour- without providing justification, and required the accounts to remain blocked until further notice. After public outcry, the government requested X to unblock @Reuters and @ReutersWorld. We are deeply concerned about ongoing press censorship in India due to these blocking orders.
What is the Act all about?
The Section 69A of the IT Act empowers the government to restrict access to any content in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of the country, security of the state, friendly relations with foreign states or for public order.
According to a PTI report, an unnamed government source said the demand to block Reuters' X account came during Operation Sindoor, and X must have acted on it only now.
Credit: Camera: Johan Sathya Das, Kailas Krishna
Producer: Athira Madhav
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