Elon Musk's company X sues Indian government; alleges misuse of IT Act
X Sues Centre: Social media platform X has approached the Bangalore High Court against the Central Government for misuse of the IT Act. This move by X has come at a time when the Centre is preparing to investigate the use of abusive words and wrong style of language by its AI chatbot Grok.
Social media platform X's Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven chatbot Grok is under question over abusive word usage and inappropriate speech style. The Central Government is preparing to inquire into it. The government is also in touch with X's officials regarding it. Meanwhile, social media company 'X', owned by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, has filed a case against India's Government in the Karnataka High Court. In their petition, X has raised questions over the regulation of illegal content and arbitrary censorship. In addition to it, X has raised concern over utilizing the Centre's Section 79(3)(B) of the IT Act. In this context, 'X' has said that this section contradicts the orders of the Supreme Court. It also violates online freedom of speech.
X has also stated that the government is using central section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act to create a mechanism to block parallel content in a way that evades legal procedure written in Section 69A.
In its petition, X' claimed that the Center's stand is contrary to the 2015 decision of the Supreme Court in the Shreya Singhal case. In that judgment, the apex court had said that content can only be legally blocked through due judicial process or under Section 69A. According to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Section 79(3)(b) orders online platforms to remove illegal content when directed by a court order or government notification.
Let us tell you that the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) says that Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act orders online platforms to remove illegal content when directed by a court order or government notification. It states that if a platform fails to do so within 36 hours, it will lose its defense under Section 79(1). Not only this, it can also be held accountable under various laws including the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
On the other hand, X has opposed this interpretation. X has argued that this provision does not give the government the independent right to block online content. Also, X accused the authorities of misusing the law to impose arbitrary censorship without following due process.
At the same time, X has taken this step while the Ministry of Information and Technology is preparing to investigate the matter of use of abusive words by Grok. The ministry has said that it is in touch with the social media platform X regarding the recent incidents of AI chatbot Grok speaking abusive words in Hindi and will investigate the matter. Sources say that the ministry will investigate the factors due to which abusive words were used. Let us tell you that Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok recently responded to provocations from users in Hindi. A debate has erupted on social media about the future of AI.
