The growing ambit of India’s online censorship mechanism

The effects of these widespread efforts are showing through: users on social media have been flagging that many of their posts which were satirical or critical of the government, and not necessarily illegal, have been impacted
India is planning to decentralise a key online content takedown framework and empower multiple ministries and regulators to start sending blocking orders to social media companies, raising concerns over an expanding censorship regime.

This will impact tech companies like Instagram, Facebook and YouTube which may start receiving blocking orders from a wide range of government agencies, but also the speech of users who post content on these platforms.

A new decentralised censorship mechanism
Currently, there are two content blocking mechanisms in India.

One is under Section 69 (A) of the IT Act, through which content that violates national security, or threatens India’s foreign policy, is taken down.

Various ministries and state governments have nodal officers who gather such content and send it to officials at the IT Ministry, which is the final signing-off agency responsible for issuing the blocking order.

The other mechanism works under Section 79 (3)(b) of the IT Act, under which various ministries have been directly empowered to issue blocking orders to online platforms, most commonly through the Sahyog portal.

“We want to bring parity across both regimes.

Like how using the Sahyog portal various agencies at the Central and state level can send blocking orders to social media companies, there is a growing feeling that the Section 69 (A) blocking process should also be similarly decentralised,” said a senior government official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The government is holding inter-ministerial discussions with various stakeholders to bring an amendment to make the change possible, which sources said was being necessitated due to the proliferation of AI-generated misleading content on the internet.

Broadly, Section 69 (A) of the IT Act empowers the central government to restrict public access to information in the interest of sovereignty, security, public order or preventing incitement to offences.

The process is governed by the Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009.

Typically, a government agency sends a request to the Ministry of Electronics and IT, which is examined by a committee before directions are issued to intermediaries such as social media platforms to block the specified content.

In emergencies, interim blocking can be ordered before review.

But in both these cases, it is the IT Ministry, which currently sends the final blocking order to intermediaries like social media companies.

The period captured the first full year since Sahyog has been in operation — and the number of orders, for the first time, revealed how the contentious portal has rapidly become a central tool in India’s expanding online censorship framework.

These orders cover a wide range of online links, including allegedly offensive or unlawful posts online, or entire accounts.

The period covered under the RTI request also includes the flurry of content takedowns that took place during Operation Sindoor in May, when the Government acted on content and accounts it believed originated from Pakistan to neutralise online propaganda.

For instance, Elon Musk-owned social media platform X had, at the time, said that it received orders to block more than 8,000 accounts by the Government, including those belonging to “international news organisations and prominent X users”.

Stricter takedown timelines, new ‘obscenity’ rules
In February, the IT Ministry notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

One of the most contentious changes it has implemented is that social media platforms must now remove content within two-three hours as opposed to 24-36 hours before.

Industry executives say the new timeline is the shortest takedown window prescribed by any government in the world.

The requirement to take down content quicker does not just apply to AI-generated content but a wide range of content that the law deems unlawful.

Platforms must now remove non-consensual intimate imagery within two hours, as opposed to 24 hours earlier, and other forms of unlawful content within three hours, from an earlier requirement to act on it within 36 hours.

Raising concerns over these rules, social media giant Meta, which operates platforms like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has previously said that the norms might be “challenging” to comply with from an operational standpoint.

According to Rob Sherman, Meta vice president policy and deputy chief privacy officer, the government had not consulted with the industry before notifying the rules.

The Centre is also considering amendments to the Information Technology (IT) Rules 2021, to prohibit the proliferation of “obscene” content on video on digital news outlets, and video-on-demand platforms.

The term could have a wide ambit, and may disallow content that contains defamatory allegations, “half truths,” “anti-national attitudes,” and “criticises” segments of “social, public and moral life of the country,” The Indian Express had earlier reported.

Soumyarendra Barik is a Special Correspondent with The Indian Express, specializing in the complex and evolving intersection of technology, policy, and society.

With over five years of newsroom experience, he is a key voice in documenting how digital transformations impact the daily lives of Indian citizens.

Expertise & Focus Areas Barik’s reporting delves into the regulatory and human aspects of the tech world.

His core areas of focus include:
The Gig Economy: He extensively covers the rights and working conditions of gig workers in India.

Tech Policy & Regulation: Analysis of policy interventions that impact Big Tech companies and the broader digital ecosystem.

Digital Rights: Reporting on data privacy, internet freedom, and India's prevalent digital divide.

Authoritativeness & On-Ground Reporting: Barik is known for his immersive and data-driven approach to journalism.

A notable example of his commitment to authentic storytelling involves him tailing a food delivery worker for over 12 hours.

This investigative piece quantified the meager earnings and physical toll involved in the profession, providing a verified, ground-level perspective often missing in tech reporting.

Personal Interests Outside of the newsroom, Soumyarendra is a self-confessed nerd about horology (watches), follows Formula 1 racing closely, and is an avid football fan.

Find all stories by Soumyarendra Barik here.

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