Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Mar 29: The union government has objected to X Corp’s characterization of its ‘Sahyog’ portal as a ‘censorship portal’, filing a response in the Karnataka high court.

The Centre argued that X misinterpreted the Information Technology Act, particularly the differences between Section 69A and Section 79(3)(b). It clarified that Section 79(3)(b) allows content removal requests, not blocking orders, which fall under Section 69A.

Rejecting X Corp’s allegations, the government stated that terms like ‘censorship portal’ and ‘blocking order’ were misleading and legally incorrect. It emphasized that the platform is not a user and cannot claim censorship concerns.

The Centre further clarified that its March 31, 2023, memorandum does not include a ‘Template Blocking Order’ but a standard format for content removal requests in line with IT rules.

The case remains pending, with the Karnataka high court set to hear further arguments on April 3.