Elon Musk sues government for using IT Act to censor online content

X (formerly Twitter), owned by Elon Musk, has filed a lawsuit against the Indian government, challenging the use of the Information Technology (IT) Act to censor online content. The lawsuit, lodged in the Karnataka High Court, alleges that the government is engaging in arbitrary censorship and unlawful regulation.

The core of the dispute centers on the government's interpretation of Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. X argues that this section is being used to bypass the formal content removal process outlined in Section 69A, which requires explicit government orders based on national security, sovereignty, or public order. X contends this practice violates Supreme Court rulings and undermines freedom of expression.

X emphasizes the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in the Shreya Singhal case, which mandated that content blocking must adhere to due process under Section 69A. The company asserts that the government's current methods contradict this precedent and impose undue liability on platforms by forcing them to determine content illegality, rather than relying on clear government directives.

Concurrently, the Ministry of Information and Technology (MeitY) is engaging with X regarding concerns about its AI chatbot, Grok. The chatbot has reportedly generated responses in Hindi containing slang and expletives, prompting government scrutiny. MeitY is investigating the causes of this output and monitoring X's content moderation practices for Grok.

This legal battle has significant implications for content regulation and digital rights in India, potentially reshaping the relationship between social media platforms and government oversight.