The Indian government is stepping up efforts to tackle “anti-India content” being shared online.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has joined hands with intelligence and cyber security agencies to create a stronger plan to deal with such content on social media.
This decision was made after officials noticed an increase in terrorist groups using platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and YouTube to spread radical messages and provoke violence.
Recently, the government blocked videos from Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and gangster Goldie Brar, saying they were spreading anti-national content.
A government official involved in the planning said, “Under the new joint plan, social media platforms will now be required to watch their own systems closely and stop the spread of content that goes against the country’s interests. They will also have to regularly report to the government on what steps they are taking.”
The plan also covers videos and messages posted from outside India but shared within the country. “Strong legal action will be taken not just against those posting from abroad, but also against people in India who share or forward such material,” said the official.
A system to block such videos already exists, but now the focus will shift to punishing those who spread them. Senior officials from the Home Ministry, Law Ministry, Electronics and IT Ministry, and the Communications Ministry have met several times to finalise this new approach.
The government says this is an important step to stop the online spread of hate and lies that can harm the nation.
