Meta ramps up censorship of protest, political reels
Instagram posts by political party accounts, Cockroach Janta Party representatives, and ordinary protesters have all been blocked in India; Meta is even barring content it is not legally required to remove
Recent protests in India have led to censorship of political and protest-related content on Instagram, according to reports. Instagram's parent company, Meta, has been under pressure from the Indian government to curb anti-establishment content. Several political leaders, including Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das, and the news portal Scroll.in, have had their posts blocked.
The IT Rules, 2021, are cited as the basis for these takedowns. While many reels remain on the platform, others have been removed, including highly viewed ones. Meta has not commented on the increased censorship. The government and police agencies have also intensified their censorship efforts on the platform. Meta complies automatically with Section 79(3)(b) requests, which can lead to quick censorship.
However, this approach has raised concerns about the platform's role in free speech, with tech law experts arguing that Meta should be moderating illegal content, not policing free expression.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
- Meta ramps up censorship of protest, political reels thehindu.com
