Meta ‘automatically’ blocks govt.-flagged content in India

25 APRIL 2026

India is now among a set of “limited countries” where Facebook and Instagram “automatically restrict content, at scale and based on local law requirements,” a company source said.
Meta, the parent firm of both social media platforms, has complied with censorship orders on a large scale, as the firm has been hit with a barrage of takedown notices from State police authorities as well as the Union government.
The Sahyog portal, launched in October 2024, which provides a web link for authorised police officials around the country to send takedown notices to social media platforms, operates under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, under which social media platforms could lose “safe harbour” for content posted by users, and end up defending themselves in court alongside the people whose content has been targeted by authorities.
IT Ministry, in February 2026, reduced timelines from 36 hours to a maximum of 3 hours.
X, formerly Twitter, has challenged the Sahyog portal in the Karnataka High Court, and does not comply with police takedown notices when it believes the content they target is lawful.