As the Indian government’s online censorship continues, Meta recently blocked the accounts of digital news publications and a satirist. Notably, Meta has not applied the blocking orders uniformly across platforms, as the accounts of Molitics, National Dastak and Rajeev Nigam remain accessible on Instagram but not on Facebook. The accounts are accessible on YouTube and X as well.
MediaNama has been tracking account suspensions and content takedowns in March. You can read our coverage on the recent censorship on X here: Part-1& Part-2.
Here is the list of accounts Meta has taken down:
Opposition’s statement on online censorship: “Several YouTube channels have been demonetised, Instagram accounts have been banned in India, and Instagram reels and content are being deleted as per the government’s will. Facebook accounts are being withheld. This is happening across the board, and this is the new trend.
The government first blocks content, deletes content, and now blocks accounts altogether in India. This is being done by none other than Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Ministry of Electronics & IT, and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,” said All India Congress Committee’s Social Media and Digital Platforms Chairperson, Supriya Shrinate.
“They issue orders under Section 69A of the IT Act, which forces social media platforms to delete or withhold accounts as directed,” Shrinate added in her post on X
Teacher suspended for satire on PM; HC stayed it: In another instance, on March 25, the Madhya Pradesh High Court stayed the District Education Officer’s suspension order of a government teacher, Saket Kumar Purohit, who posted an online satire video on PM Narendra Modi and the ongoing LPG crisis amid the Israel-Iran war on his Facebook profile. This suspension followed the complaint from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Pritam Lodhi. The court asked the DEO to apply his mind before passing such suspension orders. [Read here.]
Advocate Prashant Bhushan shared the teacher’s video mimicking Modi. You can watch the video here.
Alt News fact-checker’s content taken down on X: After receiving a blocking order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, or MeitY, under Section 69A; Mohammed Zubair reposted screenshots of the now-taken-down posts. He then said, “So, exposing the fake propaganda and false narrative set by the BJP Minister and Official handles is not allowed now?” The URLs of the blocked posts on X are: One, two, three.
Additionally, X also withheld Pakistan-based journalist Masood Chaudhary’s X account (@Masoodch06).
YouTube channel blocked for national security & public order reasons: On March 14, the government blocked the Uttar Pradesh-based YouTube channel, 4PM, citing national security and public order reasons. “Last time, the government took a U-turn right before the Supreme Court hearing. This time, the government has repeated the same mistake. The government should openly state the reason—what truth is the government afraid of?” read its social media post on X.
Are we missing anything? Please email me at [email protected] or tag @medianama on social media to alert us to any blocking orders or content takedowns.
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