While the tensions with Pakistan, particularly across borders such as Jammu, are escalating, India has not only initiated a ground defense but also a winning online campaign. In a daring move, the government asked X, a social media platform that was formerly Twitter, to block more than 8,000 accounts. The government claims that during this critical time, the aforementioned accounts were either harassing people or spreading misleading information.
What Spurred the Mass Account Suspend on X?
The Indian government acted quickly on the cyber front as tensions between India and Pakistan increased along the border. Indian officials allegedly issued direct instructions to X’s Global Government Affairs. If the company did not act according to instructions, there would be severe punishments from huge fines to potential jail time for X staff in India.
To everyone’s surprise, some of the globe’s most well-known international media outlets and public personalities are on the list of blocked accounts. Nevertheless, in the majority of cases, the government never specified what specific laws were broken or put forward any logical reasons. On some occasions, there was no justification or supporting facts whatsoever provided.
X Follows Orders, But Voices Discomfort
X team, in their statement, does not agree with the orders of the government. They did feel that they were being compelled to follow them, however, if their service was to be permitted to do business in India. Their move, they stated, was hard but imperative to enable individuals in the country not to be deprived of useful information.
The firm, now owned by tech mogul Elon Musk, was also infuriated by the absence of transparency permitted by existing legislation. They explained that not being able to talk about these orders would result in more unaccountable and prejudiced decisions in the future.
Meanwhile, on the Ground – A Country on Alert
This cyber attack was not isolated. As a security measure, power blackouts were imposed on various regions of India on the evening of the failed attempt by Pakistan to strike Jammu Airport. Gujarati city Bhuj remained in complete darkness during the night. Power outages were also implemented in Punjabi communities like Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, and Amritsar for security reasons.
Sirens went off all across cities such as Udhampur, Uri, Poonch, and Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. These were not practice runs—these were actual signals of emergency preparedness.
A New Debate Starts
When the public learned about thousands of X accounts being suspended, a new debate has been initiated about social media freedom and censorship. As the nation protects its borders, it appears that an unofficial war is now raging on the internet.