New Delhi, April 14, 2026—A global press freedom watchdog has called on the Indian government to immediately withdraw proposed legal amendments that would grant authorities expansive new powers to censor independent journalists operating on digital platforms.
Sweeping Expansion of Regulatory Power
Draft changes to the Information Technology (IT) Rules, open for public consultation until April 29, propose extending a regulatory “code of ethics” to individual content creators. This code, which currently applies only to large streaming services and broadcasters, would now cover independent journalists reporting news on social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and X. According to analyses, this would force these individuals to comply with government-issued content takedown orders as if they were formal publishers.
Government Cites Misinformation, Watchdog Warns of Silencing
The government has stated the amendments are necessary to combat misinformation and deepfakes. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned the move as a severe threat to India’s news ecosystem.
“The proposed amendments to the Information Technology Rules are a direct attack on independent journalists using digital platforms and will undermine the public’s right to information,” said Kunal Majumder, CPJ’s Asia-Pacific Program Coordinator. “Regulating them like large media corporations will silence critical reporting and erode the shrinking space for press freedom in India.”
Mechanism of Control and Recent Precedents
India’s digital landscape is governed by the IT Act, 2000, and its corresponding rules, which already allow the government to order content removal on grounds of national security and public order. The existing code of ethics for digital news publishers mandates adherence to official conduct norms and subjects them to a three-tier grievance mechanism. Failure to comply with government takedown notices within a strict three-hour window can cause platforms to lose legal immunity.
The new proposal seeks to reclassify individual journalists as “publishers,” placing them under the direct oversight of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
This draft follows a series of recent content blocks. Meta disclosed it restricted Facebook pages of news outlets like National Dastak, Molitics, and 4PM News following government directives. On March 14, a post by news magazine The Caravan on X, featuring a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi from 2002, was also blocked under the IT Act.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not immediately respond to CPJ’s request for comment on the proposed amendments.
