Twitter’s Banhammer Strikes: 11 Lakh+ Accounts Suspended in India for Violating Content Rules

New Delhi: Elon Musk-led Twitter has recorded a significant number of account bans in India. Between April 26 and May 25, a staggering 1,132,228 accounts were banned, primarily due to the promotion of child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity. Additionally, the platform took down 1,843 accounts for promoting terrorism in the country. Overall, Twitter banned a total of 1,134,071 accounts in India during this reporting period.

In compliance with the new IT Rules, 2021, Twitter released its monthly report, stating that it received 518 complaints from Indian users within the same timeframe through its grievance redressal mechanisms. The platform also processed 90 grievances related to appealing account suspensions. Following a review, 25 account suspensions were overturned, while the remaining reported accounts remain suspended.

During this period, Twitter received 29 requests for general questions about Twitter accounts. The majority of complaints from India revolved around abuse/harassment, totalling 264, followed by hateful conduct (84), sensitive adult content (67), and defamation (51).

Under Elon Musk’s leadership, Twitter has reportedly approved an overwhelming 83% of government requests to restrict or block content globally, including in India and Turkey. Musk recently acknowledged that a company has no choice but to obey local government laws, as failing to do so would result in shutdown and potential arrests. The focus is on adhering closely to the law in each country to prevent such consequences.

Under the new IT Rules 2021, major digital and social media platforms with over 5 million users are required to publish monthly compliance reports. Twitter’s appointment of Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO indicates ongoing changes within the platform while ensuring regulatory compliance in different countries, including India.