Ever since Elon Musk’s company X’s AI ‘Grock’ gave sharp answers to some questions related to the Indian government, BJP and the Prime Minister, Musk’s company and the Indian government have drawn swords against each other. There has been an uproar over Grok’s response. Now the fight between X and the government is also a topic of much discussion. First, X called the Indian government a censor. Now the government is calling X a liar.
How did the dispute start
This whole fight started when Musk’s X Corp filed a case against the Indian government in the Karnataka High Court. In that case, X Corp alleged that the Indian government’s collaborative portal was a censorship tool. This means that the Indian government will use this particular website to capture people’s opinions. It is worth noting that the government says about this website that it will help social media companies understand and comply with the rules.
On the contrary, X says that the government wants to use it to remove posts and things that it does not like. In its affidavit filed in the Karnataka High Court in response to the allegations made by X, the Indian government has said that X Corporation is trying to mislead the court.
The Indian government says that the work of the cooperative portal is only to provide information about the legal provisions that are mandatory for them to follow. The government also clarified that the cooperative portal does not directly order the removal of any content.
What was X’s real allegation?
A few days ago, X’s AI Grok gave some spicy and some sharp answers to some questions related to Prime Minister Modi. Grok came into the news when a user asked, “Who is the most communal leader of India?” Grok’s answer was, “Narendra Modi.” Grok made his point by citing the Prime Minister’s addresses and speeches. Not only this, Grok also included Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP woman leader Pragya Thakur in the list of communal leaders.
Apart from this, Grok also made other political comments. When a user asked Grok about Congress leader Sonia Gandhi whether she used to dance in bars, Grok clearly replied that it was just a rumour. Grok said about Sonia Gandhi that she never did that, she must have played the role of a bar attendant.
Grok answered many more questions and criticized many people associated with RSS and BJP. After this, the government and BJP supporters got angry. They said that Grok should be banned. Soon after this, X Corp filed a case in the Karnataka High Court. In it, X accused the government of bypassing the legal process to suppress freedom of expression. X said that the Supreme Court has held that Section 69A alone is the only valid legal mechanism for blocking online content. But through the ‘Sahyogi Portal’, the government is directly ordering the removal of content under Section 79(3)(b).
In these cases, X has mentioned all the occasions when the Government of India has ordered X to block certain sensitive posts and accounts. The government claims that many of these instructions were related to national security and maintaining communal harmony. At the same time, X says that these government instructions often went against freedom of expression.
What is the ‘Sahyogi Portal’?
This collaborative portal has been described by the Government of India as a facility for technology companies to understand the government’s guidelines and legal requirements. The government says that this portal will help companies work within the ambit of the law and in compliance with it. No one will interfere forcibly in this matter. While X is clearly denying these claims. It is worth noting that the government’s move to launch a support portal is being seen as a move to block news or posts against it. At the same time, tech companies as well as supporters of mainstream expression consider it a threat to democratic values.
