India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued approximately 12,600 online content blocking orders in 2024, more than doubling from around 6,000 annual orders recorded between 2018 and 2023, according to reports. The number rose further to an estimated 24,300 takedowns in 2025, reflecting a significant expansion of India’s digital censorship infrastructure amid heightened political sensitivities and new regulations targeting synthetic and AI-generated content.
Expansion of Censorship Infrastructure
Alongside MeitY’s direct blocking orders, state police authorities have issued an additional 2,312 takedown requests using the Sahyog censorship portal during its first full year of operation, from October 2024 to October 2025. Developed as a law enforcement coordination tool, Sahyog enables police to send automated legal notices to online platforms requesting content removal. The portal’s use spans a broad range of content, including parody, journalistic material, and criticism of government figures.
Each blocking order often targets multiple URLs and accounts across social media, though the government treats them as state secrets, frequently withholding details from those affected and limiting legal challenges. This has raised concerns about transparency and due process in India’s enforcement of internet censorship.
Political and Regulatory Drivers
The growth in censorship correlates with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s third term beginning in June 2024, marked by a weaker coalition government and increased public dissent including youth disaffection expressed on digital platforms. The government views viral content, memes, and online criticism as political threats, intensifying efforts to control digital discourse.
India’s censorship framework rests on three primary justifications: moral policing of digital content, national security concerns, and combating cybercrime. The government’s regulatory approach has tightened especially around streaming services, social media commentary, and content deemed inconsistent with “Indian values.” For example, controversies over jokes and remarks by popular content creators have triggered court cases, ministerial advisories, and renewed legislative efforts to regulate online content.
AI and Deepfake Regulation as a Censorship Accelerant
Deepfakes and AI-generated content have become pivotal in justifying increased censorship. In late 2023, MeitY mandated social media platforms to remove flagged misinformation and deepfakes within 36 hours under threat of losing legal safe harbor protections. In February 2026, new IT Rules classified “synthetically generated information” requiring platforms to label AI content and respond to takedown orders within three hours.
These AI-specific regulations compress regulatory judgment into automated compliance with limited scope for context, appeal, or journalistic verification. This has expanded state control over online expression, as platforms face mandatory monitoring and labeling of AI content, with potential penalties for non-compliance.
Further draft amendments proposed in March and April 2026 aim to enforce stricter compliance, potentially restricting features like community notes and extending regulatory oversight to intermediary-hosted news and individual creators, effectively enhancing censorship capabilities.
Why it matters
The rapid increase in digital content takedowns and the integration of AI regulations into India’s censorship architecture reflect a tightening grip on online speech. These developments raise concerns about freedom of expression, transparency, and accountability in the digital public sphere. They also indicate how technological advances such as AI and deepfakes are being used to justify extensive state control, which carries implications for political dissent and civil liberties in the world’s largest democracy.
Sources
This article is based on reporting and publicly available information from the following source:
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