Government directives to restrict online content saw a dramatic increase between March and July this year, with nearly 1.95 lakh blocking orders issued to major social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. The data indicates an average of one blocking order every 68 seconds, or approximately 1,275 orders daily.
Information was available with The Chenab Times revealing that this surge coincided with student protests against examination leaks held at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, which commenced in June and concluded on July 25. Instagram was the primary recipient, accounting for nearly one lakh blocking orders, representing over half of the total. Facebook received approximately 80,000 orders, while YouTube was issued around 15,000.
Collectively, Meta-owned platforms Instagram and Facebook were the subject of about nine out of every ten orders directed at the three companies. These orders, many channeled through the Home Ministry’s Sahyog portal, have the potential to encompass numerous individual posts, content pieces, or entire accounts. The scale of this increase is starkly contrasted with the previous year. RTI records obtained by The Indian Express indicated that between October 2024 and October 2025, only 2,312 blocking orders were sent to 19 online platforms via Sahyog, averaging about six orders per day.
A senior government official, speaking to The Indian Express, stated that a significant portion of the recent orders were issued during the student protests as they gained momentum, particularly on Instagram. The report further detailed Meta’s integration of its API with the Sahyog portal, enabling compliance with the government’s requirement to remove flagged content within a three-hour window. This system allows for the automated removal of content identified through government directives on the portal, without necessitating separate human review by the company.
Digital rights activists have voiced concerns regarding this arrangement, arguing that automated takedowns might limit platforms’ capacity to assess whether a government directive aligns with legal stipulations. Apar Gupta, an advocate and founder-director of the Delhi-based Internet Freedom Foundation, commented that an automated system could transform a conditional legal obligation into automatic compliance. He raised questions about the platform’s internal review process concerning the authority issuing an order, its legal basis, or the justifications provided for the takedown.
User reports on social media suggested that the restrictions impacted several posts supporting the student protests, commentary critical of the government’s ethanol fuel-blending policy, and content related to the West Bengal Assembly elections, in addition to deepfakes and other material. The surge in takedown orders also occurs amidst tightened government regulations. In February, the IT Ministry amended the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, reducing the compliance period for certain government-directed takedowns from the previous 24-36 hours to a mere 2-3 hours.
With India boasting over 600 million social media users, the escalating volume of government takedown requests has intensified the debate surrounding online regulation, freedom of expression, and the essential safeguards required before content is removed from digital platforms. The Home Ministry, through the Sahyog portal, acts as a central point for such directives, aiming to streamline content moderation processes in line with legal frameworks and national security considerations. However, the increased reliance on automated takedowns has prompted calls for greater transparency and accountability in the process, ensuring that digital rights are balanced with legitimate governmental oversight.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
