Other Indian activists have also warned that the regulations could be challenged in court. "I think these new rules are extremely worrisome because they are imposing a regulation on free speech and privacy without any backing of law," Nikhil Pahwa, founder of a digital news portal and a cyber activist, told AFP. "In my opinion all these rules should be challenged in court and if they are, I doubt they would hold up." Facebook and Twitter, for whom India's 1.3 billion people are a key market, have said they are studying the guidelines. "We look forward to continued engagement with the government of India to strike a balance between transparency, freedom of expression, and privacy," said a Twitter spokesperson.