Archive · 20 Aug 2026
India Requests 2.44 Lakh Social Media Takedowns During March-July
The Indian government asked social media companies to remove many online posts and links.
About 2.98 lakh URLs were sent for removal from March through July 2026.
State governments sent most of them, around 2.44 lakh.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre sent 51,000 links connected to scams and other cybercrime.
The government said new rules require platforms to act within three hours instead of 36 hours.
Some people, including politicians and influencers, said their posts were blocked, especially on Instagram.
PIB Fact Check said reports about government-directed automated blocking were misleading.
It said the system helps remove unlawful material, including financial fraud, child sexual abuse material and crimes against women and children.
Government departments sent around 2.98 lakh URLs for takedown between March and July 2026.
States accounted for about 2.44 lakh requests, or 82% of the total.
The Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre sent 51,000 URLs involving cyber, infrastructure and stock-investment scams.
The government said amended IT Intermediaries Rules reduced the takedown deadline from 36 hours to three hours.
PIB Fact Check rejected reports that Meta’s automated blocking system was imposed by the government, saying Meta requested the 2025 API integration.
- Who
- Indian government departments, state governments, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre, social media platforms and the PIB Fact Check unit.
- What
- Authorities sent around 2.98 lakh URLs for social-media takedown, including 2.44 lakh requests from states.
- When
- From March through July 2026; the rules were amended in February 2026, according to the report.
- Where
- On social media platforms in India, including Meta’s Instagram.
- Why
- To address content the authorities considered unlawful, including cybercrime, financial fraud, child sexual abuse material and offences against women and children.
Government and PIB Fact Check
Critics and Reported Platform Users
Reason for content removals
Government and PIB Fact Check
The government said removals addressed unlawful content and cited scams, child sexual abuse material, and offences against women and children.
Critics and Reported Platform Users
Political leaders, social media influencers and others reported that their content was blocked, raising concerns about the breadth of platform enforcement.
Automated blocking and Meta
Government and PIB Fact Check
PIB Fact Check called reports that the government required Meta to automate content blocking misleading and said Meta requested the API integration in 2025.
Critics and Reported Platform Users
Recent reports described Meta as automating content blocking to comply with the government’s three-hour takedown requirement.
Government responsibility online
Government and PIB Fact Check
PIB Fact Check said the state and its instrumentalities cannot allow lawlessness in cyberspace and that only authorised officers can issue takedown intimations through Sahyog.
Critics and Reported Platform Users
The reported blocking of posts during student protests and other public debate prompted concerns about how government requests affect online expression.
- Total URLs sent
- Around 2.98 lakh between March and July 2026.
- State requests
- Around 2.44 lakh URLs, representing 82% of the total.
- I4C requests
- 51,000 URLs related to cyber, infrastructure and stock-investment scams.
- Takedown deadline
- Reduced from 36 hours to three hours under amended IT Intermediaries Rules 2021.
- API integration
- PIB Fact Check said Meta’s API integration took place in 2025 at Meta’s request.
- Reported impact
- Political leaders, influencers and others said some of their content was blocked, mainly on Instagram.