India Rebukes X Over “Tom, Dick, and Harry” Remark in Ongoing Court Battle on Content Takedowns

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A legal clash between Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) and the Indian government intensified on Tuesday after X’s lawyer made a controversial remark suggesting that “every Tom, Dick, and Harry” government official could issue takedown orders on online content. The statement drew a sharp and immediate rebuke from India’s Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, escalating a long-standing standoff over digital content regulation.

The remark came during a hearing at the Karnataka High Court, where X is challenging a government-run website that it alleges serves as a “censorship portal.” The Indian government, however, defends the portal as a tool for swiftly notifying social media platforms of legal obligations under content moderation laws.

X’s lawyer, K.G. Raghavan, cited a recent example where the Indian Railways ordered the takedown of a video showing a car being driven on a railway track—content X considered newsworthy. “This is the danger… if every Tom, Dick, and Harry officer is authorised,” he argued.

Solicitor General Mehta strongly objected, stating, “Officers are not Tom, Dick, or Harry… they are statutory functionaries.” He further defended India’s regulatory approach, saying, “No social media intermediary can expect completely unregulated functioning.”

The Indian Information Technology Ministry and X did not issue public responses to Reuters’ inquiries following the courtroom exchange.

India has become a strategically important market for Musk’s expanding empire, particularly with upcoming plans to launch Starlink and Tesla in the country. However, X’s friction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration over content moderation continues to cast a shadow over those ambitions.

The roots of the conflict trace back to 2021, when X refused to comply with Indian orders to block specific tweets. Although it eventually yielded to the demands, the platform has continued to contest the legality of those directives in Indian courts.

Tuesday’s court exchange underscores the ongoing tension between tech giants and sovereign governments over who has the final say in regulating online content—and how far that power should extend.

Leonardo Acquires 24.55% Stake in Finland’s SSH to Bolster Cybersecurity, Marking Progress in European Defence Integration

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Italy’s defence giant Leonardo will acquire a 24.55% stake in Finnish cybersecurity firm SSH Communications Security, the companies announced Tuesday, marking a significant step in Europe’s efforts to deepen defence cooperation and consolidate its security industry.

With this deal, Leonardo becomes SSH’s largest shareholder, underscoring the growing importance of cybersecurity in multi-domain defence systems. Leonardo, known for its aerospace and defence platforms, views cyber capabilities as critical components of modern warfare, particularly as systems become increasingly interconnected.

SSH CEO Rami Raulas emphasized that the Western defence sector is shifting from national protectionism to international collaboration, noting Leonardo’s investment as part of a broader movement toward shared capabilities and joint ventures across borders. He also cited the BAE-Japan-Leonardo partnership for a next-generation combat jet as an example of this trend.

Raulas added that a growing European sentiment of “Europeans for Europe”—spurred in part by concerns over U.S. foreign policy under Donald Trump—is encouraging intra-European defence partnerships, reducing reliance on American investments.

Leonardo, which posted €18 billion ($21.2 billion) in revenue in 2024, expects its cybersecurity segment to achieve double-digit growth in the coming years. “Cybersecurity will increasingly be embedded into defence platforms and will become a core component of global security solutions,” said Giuseppe Panizzardi, Leonardo’s head of M&A, during a conference call.

The agreement involves €20 million worth of newly issued SSH shares purchased by Leonardo. Upon completion, Accendo Capital, previously SSH’s largest investor, will hold a 20.87% stake.

SSH is recognized for its quantum-safe encryption and Zero Trust architecture—an approach that assumes all users and devices could be threats unless verified. Leonardo said the deal supports the formation of a “Made in Europe” Zero Trust ecosystem, aligning with the EU’s ambitions for digital sovereignty and homegrown cybersecurity infrastructure.

Elon Musk’s xAI Secures $10 Billion in Funding for AI Expansion, Morgan Stanley Confirms

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Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence venture, xAI, has successfully raised $10 billion—split evenly between debt financing and strategic equity investment—as it ramps up efforts to scale infrastructure and compete in the intensifying AI arms race, Morgan Stanley confirmed Monday.

According to a statement posted on X, the $5 billion in debt funding includes a mix of secured notes and term loans and was oversubscribed, drawing in prominent global debt investors. Meanwhile, xAI also completed a separate $5 billion equity raise, with Morgan Stanley describing the capital as “strategic”—a likely reference to targeted investments from industry or institutional players.

Earlier reports by Reuters indicated that xAI was on track to finalize the debt round despite tepid early interest. Bloomberg had separately reported that the AI firm was also pursuing an additional $4.3 billion equity round on top of the debt raise, and had even floated a potential $20 billion equity raise that could push the company’s valuation as high as $200 billion. Current investor estimates place xAI’s valuation at over $120 billion.

The new funds will support the development of AI models, the expansion of data center infrastructure, and growth of xAI’s flagship Grok platform, a generative AI chatbot positioned to rival OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

xAI has not issued a public statement, and declined to comment when contacted by Reuters outside of business hours.

The massive funding round highlights investor confidence in Musk’s ability to build a major player in the AI space, leveraging assets across his business empire, including Tesla, SpaceX, and X (formerly Twitter).