When India demands that X (formerly Twitter) suspend accounts critical of its government, Elon Musk replies:

“We have to comply with local laws. Even if we disagree with them.”

But when other governments make similar requests, the tone shifts. Sometimes mocking. Sometimes defiant. Sometimes simply indifferent.

So the real question isn’t which law applies.
It’s:
Which law does Elon feel like respecting this week?
And which global narrative is most convenient — right now?

Perhaps the fact that Elon Musk’s Starlink recently received approval from India’s Department of Telecommunications to deploy and operate its satellite internet services might have something to do with the tone of his response. Or am I just being cynical?

This isn’t just politics. It’s digital architecture.

Social platforms are not neutral spaces.
They’re not governed by consistent principles or universal standards.
They move with interest, with legal threats, with strategic whim.

And there’s no appeals button when the person deciding owns the platform, the algorithm and the global conversation.

Why this matters

Because we still think posting on a platform means communicating.
But sometimes, it’s just shouting inside a rented house where the landlord can lock the door without warning.

Because we believe digital freedom of speech is stable.
But it can be disabled, at scale, in the name of “compliance” — if the owner decides it’s worth it.

And because countless communication, marketing and reputation teams are playing a game whose rules they don’t know, didn’t write, and cannot negotiate.

When the medium is the message — and the power

What’s at stake isn’t just a tweet. Or a suspended account.
What’s at stake is who decides what’s visible, what gets deleted, and what becomes a trend.

X does it with governments.
Instagram — as we discussed recently — does it quietly with classification systems.
And no platform is truly obliged to tell you how.

The biggest reputational risk isn’t a crisis.
It’s being unable to explain the crisis because the platform silenced you first.

If your digital strategy depends on the goodwill of a single person — or a faceless algorithm — it’s not a strategy. It’s blind faith.