At approximately 6 PM today, users of X, the popular social networking site previously known as Twitter, suddenly and en masse suffered a disruption. Thousands were complaining of not being able to view their feeds or post messages. DownDetector logged over 2,200 outage reports during the height of the disruption.
The site continued to be unavailable on both desktop and mobile platforms, which induced instant complaints and confusion. Throughout the downtime, users experienced numerous technical issues — from being unable to log in, to delays in receiving direct messages, and experiencing broken links on the site.
But services were back up a short while later, and X is running normally now. Users can post, engage, and access their timelines again with ease.
No Official Statement Yet
Though X restored normalcy, it has not issued any official comment explaining the cause of the outage. The silence has only served to fuel user anger, particularly in light of the platform’s recent controversies in India.
Concerns Over Government Orders and Free Speech
In a related development, X confirmed it would adhere to recent executive orders by the Indian government to ban more than 8,000 accounts within the nation. The orders target content deemed illegal under domestic laws. But the platform also expressed significant concerns regarding the transparency and due process.
“X has been directed by executive orders issued by the government of India to block more than 8,000 accounts in India, with potential penalties including severe fines and jailing of the local employees of the company,” the company said.
“Most often, the Indian government has not identified which of a user’s posts on an account have breached India’s local law. For many accounts, we did not have any evidence or rationale to block the accounts.”
X also revealed that the Indian government targeted accounts of international news outlets and popular users, adding a new twist to the free speech controversy in India.
As online platforms keep striking the balance between complying with local laws and safeguarding user rights, X stands at the intersection of expression and accountability.
