India Tightens Internet Takedown Powers After Dispute with X

India’s government has reined in its online content takedown regime by restricting it to senior officials only. Under the revised framework, only bureaucrats at joint-secretary rank or higher and police officers of deputy-inspector-general level or above may issue removal orders, effective November 15.

The changes come after Elon Musk’s X platform challenged India’s former broad takedown powers, where multiple agencies and thousands of lower-ranking officers were able to demand content removal—something the company described as a crackdown on freedom of speech.

While the reform narrows the list of authorised officials, experts caution that significant safeguards remain absent, and the burden of proof still lies with users whose content is removed.

Source: reuters.com