As of Sunday, July 6, 2025, X, formerly known as Twitter, has blocked access to the official Reuters and Reuters World accounts within India. Users attempting to access these accounts are met with a message stating: "Account withheld. @Reuters has been withheld in IN (India) in response to a legal demand". While these two main accounts are blocked, other Reuters-affiliated accounts, such as Reuters Tech News, Reuters Fact Check, Reuters Asia, and Reuters China, remain accessible in India. The Reuters website is also still accessible.

The reason behind the блокировка is currently unclear. X's help center page explains that such messages regarding "country withheld content" indicate that X was compelled to withhold the specified account or post in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order or local laws.

However, the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has denied issuing any new legal demand to block Reuters' accounts. According to an official spokesperson, "There is no requirement from the Government of India to withhold the Reuters handle. We are continuously working with X to resolve the problem". The ministry has also reportedly sent a written response to X, requesting an explanation for the blocking and asking the platform to lift the embargo.

Government sources suggest that the блокировка may be related to a previous request made during "Operation Sindoor" in May, a period of heightened tensions between India and Pakistan. During this time, the Indian government reportedly sent over 8,000 orders to X to block access to various accounts, including Pakistani news outlets and other accounts. While numerous accounts were blocked at the time, Reuters' handle was not among them. It appears that X may have acted on this older request now.

This incident occurs amidst ongoing tensions between the Indian government and X regarding content regulation. X has sued the Indian government in the Karnataka High Court over previous blocking orders issued under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000, arguing that they lack adequate safeguards. The platform has also challenged Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, which empowers government agencies to order intermediaries to remove content. The final hearing in this case is scheduled for July 8.

Reuters has acknowledged the блокировка and stated that they are working with X to resolve the matter and have their account reinstated in India as soon as possible.

The блокировка of Reuters' accounts has raised concerns about freedom of the press and increasing digital content regulation in India. This incident follows recent блокировки of X accounts belonging to Turkish media house TRT World and Chinese media organization Global Times, further fueling these concerns.