Kejriwal claims Meta restricted his social media account in India; seeks answers

Arvind Kejriwal, the national convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and former Chief Minister of Delhi, on Thursday said that his social media account had been restricted in India. In a post on X, he said that an inquiry at Meta's India office revealed that the account was unavailable in the country.

Mr. Kejriwal shared a screenshot of his account status page, which displayed the message “Unavailable in some locations”. He claimed that Meta officials did not provide a reason for the restriction or explain how it could be lifted. He also said that his emails to the company had received only routine acknowledgements.

The AAP leader called the lack of response from the company “pretty bad service” and demanded an explanation. He further alleged, without offering evidence, that the restriction was linked to pressure from the Prime Minister's office. “Don't bow down to the Prime Minister, else he will allow you to run only his own account in India,” he wrote on X.

Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, had not issued a response to requests for comment at the time of writing. The company's policies and local laws allow for geo-restrictions of content, but the specific reason for Mr. Kejriwal's account status remains unclear.

This is not the first time that Indian politicians have raised concerns about social media platforms. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has previously issued orders to block content under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, but it is not known whether any such order was issued in this case. The development comes amid ongoing tensions between the ruling party at the Centre and the AAP.

Mr. Kejriwal has been a frequent critic of the central government and has faced multiple investigations by central agencies. His party is in power in Delhi and Punjab. The restriction on his social media account, if confirmed, could raise questions about the role of the government in regulating online speech.

Independent verification of the account's status was not possible as of now. X, which is owned by Elon Musk, has its own moderation rules. Meta does not typically comment on individual account restrictions due to privacy and legal considerations.

Under Indian law, social media platforms are required to comply with government orders to block content in the interest of national security, public order, or for preventing incitement to an offence. However, such orders are usually not made public. It remains to be seen whether Meta will provide an explanation to Mr. Kejriwal or clarify whether a legal request from Indian authorities led to the restriction.

Experts point out that geo-blocking is a common practice for platforms to comply with local laws. But without a response from Meta, the exact cause of the restriction—whether it was a compliance measure or an error—cannot be determined. Mr. Kejriwal's post, written from his personal account on X, suggests that his presence on other platforms may still be unaffected, though he did not clarify this.

This report will be updated as and when Meta responds or more information becomes available.