Multiple government departments requested social media platforms to remove 2.44 lakh pieces of content between March and July 2026, according to an official note shared by the PIB Fact Check account. 2.98 lakh URLs were sent for takedown during this period, with 82% of requests coming from states. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) accounted for approximately 51,000 takedown requests, primarily concerning cyber fraud, critical infrastructure, and stock-investment scams. This action followed widespread student protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party on the NEET paper leak issue, with several political leaders, social media influencers, and others reporting that their content was being blocked on social media platforms, mainly on Meta's Instagram. As per News18 reports, the nearly 3 lakh URLs covered in the latest data were not flagged by a single central agency, instead coming from multiple government departments and state authorities using available mechanisms for reporting unlawful content online.
The time limit for takedown of unlawful content was reduced to three hours from the earlier 36 hours through an amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, in February 2026. The PIB Fact Check account clarified that the API integration with Meta took place in 2025 at the request of Meta, contradicting reports claiming Meta automated content blocking to comply with the government's three-hour takedown requirement. The amendment to the IT Intermediaries Rules 2021 was specifically designed to expedite the removal of unlawful online content, with the shorter deadline becoming a point of discussion after reports emerged about Meta using automated systems to process government requests for removal of content. The tighter deadlines have since attracted scrutiny, particularly after reports suggested that Meta had been using automated systems to handle some government requests for content removal. The PIB Fact Check unit has specifically addressed reports about Meta using automated systems to block content to meet the government's three-hour takedown requirement, calling such claims misleading.
Over the last two years, a majority of unlawful content intimated by the I4C related to transnational financial frauds, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and offences against women and children. The fact-check unit noted that with approximately 600 million users in India posting up to 78,703 items every 68 seconds, it was reasonable to expect that some content posted may be unlawful. The government has pointed to the broader scale of activity on India's social media platforms while explaining the volume of removal requests. The latest five-month figures cover requests made by multiple government departments and state authorities, not just the I4C, offering a comprehensive snapshot of government takedown requests in India as platforms face much shorter windows to respond to certain notices under the amended IT rules.
IT intermediaries act on intimations issued by competent authorities, with only authorized officers notified by the concerned ministry or state government able to send intimations for takedown of unlawful content through the Sahyog portal. The PIB Fact Check clarified that all such intimations are reviewed by the concerned governments periodically. The Sahyog portal enables states and central ministries to intimate IT intermediaries about unlawful content, ensuring proper oversight of the takedown process. Government employees cannot independently submit removal requests at will - only officers formally authorised by the relevant Union ministry or state government can initiate action against content considered unlawful. The authorities responsible for issuing those notices are also expected to review them periodically, with the safeguards forming part of the government's defence of the system amid wider questions over how quickly platforms are expected to act on official requests and the processes used to identify content for removal.
