Posts by journalists, political parties, activists and media organisations are increasingly being restricted or taken down on platforms such as Meta and X, following government notices issued under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. This trend has raised concerns over transparency, due process and press freedom in India.
The stakes are particularly high for journalists and creators who don’t have institutional backing, according to freelance journalist Sachin Gupta. “When we share hate speech or violence on social media, the government should take cognisance of those posts and take action against the people making the hate speech, rather than against those who are posting or sharing it. This is, in a way, an attempt to eliminate the messenger so that such things do not come out.”
