Meta blocks Instagram posts of politicians, activists in India

Meta has rapidly taken down Instagram posts by political leaders, parties, and activists in India following tense meetings between the company and the Union government. The Indian Youth Congress, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Cockroach Janta Party spokesperson Saurav Das, and news portal Scroll.in are among those whose content has been blocked. A viral clip with over one crore views featuring a student activist has also disappeared.

The takedowns cite the IT Rules, 2021, and are executed through a mechanism that, according to The Hindu, Meta applies automatically to government requests under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. This process bypasses safeguards available under Section 69A, critics say. The Software Freedom Law Centre, India called the Sahyog portal a "parallel system" lacking transparency and proper review procedures.

CJP's Saurav Das called the censorship "unconstitutional and illegal," urging Meta not to comply with what he described as government pressure. Meta did not respond to requests for comment. Pranesh Prakash, a tech law consultant, earlier told The Hindu that Meta was "unthinkingly removing content it is legally not even required to remove."