Meta Tightens Censorship of Indian Protest Content on Instagram and Facebook

In the weeks following tense meetings between Meta’s leadership and the Union government, posts by Indian Youth Congress members, Aam Admi Party (Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)) convener Arvind Kejriwal, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das, and the news portal Scroll.in began disappearing from Instagram. The removals have targeted political reels—short video clips—some of which had been viewed millions of times. While many reels remain, users report that protest-related content now appears far less frequently on the platform, and X (formerly Twitter) continues to host some of the flagged material.

The Hindu

The takedowns are being carried out under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which allows the government to issue notices that compel platforms to remove content without criminal liability. According to a report dated April 25, Meta complies automatically with such requests, granting authorities rapid censorship powers. On August 6, 2026, the Software Freedom Law Centre, India (SFLC) explained that the Home Ministry’s Sahyog portal creates a parallel system for content removal that lacks the procedural safeguards present under Section 69A of the IT Act.

The Hindu

Among the removed material is an Instagram reel by a Students’ Federation of India activist, Sakhi, that mocked police calls for protesters to vacate Jantar Mantar and had amassed over one crore views. On August 6, 2026, several of Kejriwal’s Facebook posts criticizing the government’s ethanol-blending policy were restricted. The pattern shows a broad sweep affecting both high-profile politicians and grassroots activists.

The Hindu

Pranesh Prakash, co-founder of the Centre for Internet and Society and tech-law consultant, argued that Meta’s automatic compliance with Section 79(3)(b) notices is problematic because the platform removes content it is not legally required to take down. The SFLC stressed that the lack of notice, reasons for enforcement, and review mechanisms places a heightened responsibility on platforms to ensure transparent and consistently applied moderation.

The Hindu

The combined effect of government-driven notices and Meta’s swift compliance raises concerns about the erosion of free-speech principles online. Critics warn that the absence of procedural safeguards could chill political discourse and limit the public’s ability to access dissenting viewpoints on social media.

The Hindu