Chandrasekhar reveals that Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter received numerous content directives under IT Act in the last 5 years.
Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar revealed during the ongoing session of Parliament the startling figures of government directives to major social media platforms to remove, edit or block content under the Information Technology Act, 2000. Released by Chandrasekhar in the last five years, it highlighted the extent of the government’s efforts to ensure national security, safeguard public order and preserve sovereignty and integrity.
The statistics revealed by the minister outlined a significant number of guidelines that are specifically targeted at platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X-Corp), YouTube and others.
2018
- Facebook: 1,555
- Instagram: 379
- Twitter (X-Corp): 224
- YouTube: 161
- Others: 480
- Total: 2,799
2019
- Facebook: 2,049
- Instagram: 75
- Twitter (X-Corp): 1,041
- YouTube: 409
- Others: 61
- Total: 3,635
2020
- Facebook: 1,717
- Instagram: 1,273
- Twitter (X-Corp): 2,731
- YouTube: 2,175
- Others: 1,953
- Total: 9,849
2021
- Facebook: 1,082
- Instagram: 464
- Twitter (X-Corp): 2,851
- YouTube: 1,141
- Others: 580
- Total: 6,118
2022
- Facebook: 1,750
- Instagram: 359
- Twitter (X-Corp): 3,423
- YouTube: 939
- Others: 464
- Total: 6,935
2023
- Facebook: 2,044
- Instagram: 473
- Twitter (X-Corp): 3,390
- YouTube: 934
- Others: 661
- Total: 7,502
Furthermore, regarding the spread of pornographic and violent content, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on various platforms, the minister emphasized the government’s zero-tolerance policy towards such cybercrime.
He said: “The government has issued a notice to several social media intermediaries such as Telegram, YouTube and X to remove or block access to all CSAMs and groups that disseminate such material.”
According to Chandrasekhar, the government has also asked platforms to implement proactive measures such as content moderation algorithms and reporting mechanisms to prevent the spread of CSAM.
