During the election period, X will hide the posts from Indian audiences, which contained unverified claims about political opponents. Despite complying, X expressed disagreement with the blocking of political speech.

Social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has restricted access to numerous posts in India featuring political content following a directive from authorities ahead of a six-week general election beginning this Friday.

Despite disagreeing with the order, X stated that the posts would remain inaccessible to Indian audiences until the conclusion of the election.

X, formerly Twitter and owned by Elon Musk, stated in a late Tuesday post that it had withheld the mentioned posts as per the orders for the duration of the election. However, the platform disagreed with the actions, asserting that freedom of expression should encompass such posts and political discourse in general.

The flagged posts, originating from elected officials, political parties, and candidates, contained unverified allegations regarding the private lives of their adversaries, deemed by India’s election commission as violations of its code of conduct.

On the same day, X's Brazilian office announced its compliance with a court directive to block users spreading misinformation in Brazil.

Musk had previously threatened to defy the Brazilian court’s order. The billionaire is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India this month to discuss significant investment plans in the country.

India, as the world’s largest democracy, consistently ranks among the top five countries globally in terms of government requests to remove social media content.

Last year, an Indian court fined X $61,000 after the platform unsuccessfully contested orders to remove tweets and accounts critical of Modi’s government. Rights groups warn that freedom of expression is at risk in India, which has dropped 21 spots to 161 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index since Modi assumed office in 2014.

Indian authorities frequently impose widespread internet shutdowns during periods of unrest, including a months-long blackout in the northeastern state of Manipur last year following ethnic violence. The government argues that internet shutdowns help combat disinformation by preventing rumors from spreading on social media or messaging apps.

A total of 968 million people are eligible to vote in the election, with the final round of voting scheduled for June 1 and counting three days later.