Social media platform X restores Reuters account in India after government intervention

International news agency Reuters saw its official account on X (formerly Twitter) blocked in India for nearly 24 hours over the weekend before access was restored on Sunday following government intervention.

The blocking, which began on Saturday evening, led to widespread speculation as users trying to access @Reuters in India were met with a message saying the account had been “withheld in IN in response to a legal demand.”

However, a government spokesperson confirmed on Sunday that no such blocking request had been made for the Reuters account. "There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle," the spokesperson said, adding that the government had asked X to explain the move and ensure the embargo was lifted.

According to official sources, the issue appears linked to a blocking order from May 7 during Operation Sindoor, which targeted hundreds of accounts. While that order had named many handles for blocking, Reuters’ account was not among them, sources said.

They suggested that X had seemingly enforced that old order in error now. “An order was issued on May 7 (during Operation Sindoor) but it was not enforced. X seems to have enforced that order now, which is a mistake on their part. The government has reached out to X for resolving it at the earliest,” one official explained.

The Reuters account was accessible again in India from Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, other international media outlets saw their X accounts in India affected over the weekend. The official handles of Chinese state media outlet Global Times and Turkish broadcaster TRT World were also blocked in India citing a “legal demand,” despite no active requirement to do so, officials said.

"There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Global Times News/trtworld handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem," the spokesperson added.

In contrast, some other media accounts previously blocked during Operation Sindoor, such as Xinhua News, remained accessible in India on Sunday.

X’s help centre page notes that “country withheld” notices typically appear when the company is compelled to comply with a valid legal demand, such as a court order or a government directive under local law.

This episode underscores the challenges of content moderation and compliance on large social media platforms—especially in a market as complex and heavily regulated as India.

Read More: Govt didn’t ask X to block Reuters, calls it technical glitch