1482 websites were blocked by IT Ministry in 2022, RTI reveals

A total of 1,482 websites or URLs were blocked by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeiTY) from January to March 2022, revealed an RTI query filed by Software Freedom Legal Central (SFLC.in), a legal policy firm. The blocked sites include all types of URLs such as webpages, websites and pages on social media platforms.

These websites were blocked citing Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The Section states that any agency of the government or any intermediary can be asked to block the access of information for the public “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State,