X vs India: Elon Musk's Company Challenges IT Act's Content Regulation

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): There is a controversy over the use of abusive words and wrong language by AI chatbot Grok, while on the other hand, social media platform X has moved the Bangalore High Court against the central government for misuse of the IT Act. Elon Musk-owned social media company 'X' has filed a case against the Government of India in the Karnataka High Court.

In the petition, X has challenged illegal content regulation and arbitrary censorship. Also, X has expressed concern over the use of the central section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. Regarding this, 'X' has argued that this section violates the decisions of the Supreme Court. It also undermines the freedom of expression online. X has also alleged that the government is using the central section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to create a mechanism to block parallel content, bypassing the legal process written in Section 69A. In his petition, 'X' claimed that the Center's stand is contrary to the 2015 decision of the Supreme Court in the Shreya Singhal case. In that decision, the apex court had said that content can only be legally blocked through due judicial process or under Section 69A. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Section 79(3)(b) orders online platforms to remove illegal content when directed by a court order or government notification.