X informs Delhi High Court that takedown notices against civil rights groups were fraudulent
Social media platform X confirmed to the Delhi High Court that requests to remove posts by the Internet Freedom Foundation and SFLC.in were submitted by an imposter using the Delhi Police's name.
X has officially notified the Delhi High Court that the legal takedown notices it received targeting the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) and the Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC.in) were fraudulent. An internal investigation by the platform concluded that the requests, which purported to come from the Delhi Police, were submitted by an unidentified third party.
Following these findings, X stated that it will not initiate any account restrictions or content removals related to the falsified reports. The Delhi High Court has since disposed of the petitions filed by the affected organizations, though it granted the groups leave to return to court should the platform attempt enforcement actions in the future.
This incident highlights ongoing challenges regarding the verification of government-led content moderation requests on global social media platforms. The disputed notices had demanded the removal of content referencing a legal notice purportedly issued by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a request the organizations contested as a violation of free speech rights.
The development occurs amidst broader regulatory scrutiny regarding the 'safe harbour' protections currently afforded to intermediaries in India. With the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology reportedly evaluating the future of Section 79 of the IT Act, the balance between platform liability and the authenticity of government takedown orders remains a critical point of concern for digital rights advocacy.