Govt. told X, Instagram to take down critical, satirical posts on PM, UGC equity regulations, Pg12

Key Highlights:

• The Union government has issued takedown orders for social media posts on X and Instagram that satirize or criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the UGC equity regulations.
• Posts removed include content referencing a mistranscription by Mr. Modi, criticism of the targeting of minorities, and satirical cartoons.
• Meta's data indicates localized takedowns tripled in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period two years prior.
• Social media platforms comply by making posts invisible in India, while they remain accessible in other countries.

Detailed Insights:

• The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not comment on the takedown notices.
• The Wire's satirical music videos featuring Mr. Modi faced takedown notices on both X and Instagram, and a repost by founding editor Siddharth Varadarajan was also removed.
• The Congress party reported that nine AI-generated posts were taken down in February.
• Social media platforms comply with takedown orders due to reduced timelines of two to three hours.
• An account belonging to Hindu activist Sarthak Bhagat, and another right wing account @woke_kashmiri were also withheld with no explanation.
• Both accounts spoke out against the University Grants Commission (Promotion of Equity in Higher Education Institutions) Regulations, 2026.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000: Empowers the government to direct intermediaries to block public access to information online.
• Section 79(3)(b): States that intermediaries must act upon receiving actual knowledge of unlawful activity.
• UGC Equity Regulations: Guidelines by the University Grants Commission to promote equity in higher education institutions.