Lok Sabha Question No. 3048 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-19
Subject: Takedown Notices submitted to Social Media Platforms
Ministry: ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asked by: Shri Abhishek Banerjee

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION. NO. 3048

TO BE ANSWERED ON: 19.03.2025

## TAKEDOWN NOTICES SUBMITTED TO SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS

## 3048. SHRI ABHISHEK BANERJEE:

Will the Minister of ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY be pleased to state:

- (a) the number of takedown notices submitted by various ministries to social media platforms i.e. X (formerly Twitter) and Meta during the last three years, Ministry-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has a comprehensive list of these takedown notices, specifying for each the date of submission, the underlying reasons (such as hate speech, misinformation, defamation etc.);
- (c) the measures in place to review the outcomes and impacts of these takedown notices; and
- (d) the manner  in which  the  Government  ensures that such actions conform  with constitutional protections of free speech and due process?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR ELECTRONICS AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a)  to  (d):The  policies  of  the  Government  are  aimed  at  ensuring  a  safe,  trusted  and accountable Internet for its users while ensuring the Internet remains free from any form of unlawful  content  or  information.To  help  achieve  this  aim,  the  Central  Government,  in exercise of its powers under Information Technology Act, 2000, has notified the Information Technology  (Intermediary  Guidelines  and  Digital  Media  Ethics  Code)  Rules,  2021  ('IT Rules').  These  rules  cast  specific  obligations  on  intermediaries,  including  social  media intermediaries, to observe due diligence while discharging its duties. Failure to comply with the obligations results in the loss of exemption from liability for any third-party information, data, or communication link made available by them, and are liable for the same as per law. Such obligations  include  the  making  of  reasonable  efforts  by  the  intermediary  to  cause  its users not to host, display, upload, publish, transmit or store any information that knowingly or intentionally violates any law. Further, intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, are also required to remove any unlawful information as and when brought to their  knowledge  either  through  a  court  order  or  through  a  notice  by  an  appropriate government  or  its  authorized  agency.  Such  unlawful  information  includes  information prohibited  under  any  law  for  the  time  being  in  force  in  relation  to  the  interest  of  the sovereignty and integrity of India; security of the State; friendly relations with foreign States; public order; decency or morality; in relation to contempt of court; defamation; incitement to an offence relating to the above, or any information which is prohibited under any law for the time being in force.

The  notices  for  takedown  of  any  such  information  on  the  intermediary  platform  are  sent directly  by  the  respective  appropriate  governments  or  their  authorised  agencies  where  the appropriate  government  can  be  both  the  State  and  Central  Government  as  per  the  Seventh Schedule to the Constitution.

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