Under Section 69A of the IT Act, the government has the power to block public access to digital content if it is deemed a threat to national security, sovereignty, or public order.However, this process is regulated by the 2009 Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, which require a structured review process before blocking decisions are made.’X’ has argued that instead of following these procedures, the government is using Section 79(3)(b) as a shortcut, allowing content to be removed without the necessary scrutiny.The platform sees this as a direct violation of legal safeguards meant to prevent arbitrary censorship.Another major point in the social media platform’s legal challenge is its opposition to the government’s Sahyog portal.Created by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs, this platform was designed to streamline takedown requests under Section 79(3)(b) and facilitate direct communication between social media platforms and law enforcement agencies.However, ‘X’ has refused to onboard an employee onto the Sahyog portal, claiming it acts as a “censorship tool” that pressures platforms to remove content without proper legal review.The lawsuit argues that this is yet another attempt by the government to control online discourse without judicial oversight.
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