Social media companies 100% compliant on govt’s content block requests

NEW DELHI: There has been a “100% compliance” with content blocking requests made by the state under Section 69A of the IT Act, marking perhaps the first instance of top social media giants such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Google falling in line with the government’s demands.

Notwithstanding a few pending cases in courts filed by companies — especially Twitter which went to the Karnataka HC last July over what it alleged was disproportionate use of power by the state — there has not been much resistance to requests to block content with potential impact on national security, sovereignty, and public order. This also comes after the government tightened the regulatory mechanism around illegal content, and made companies appoint officers to look into user and government requests under the new IT guidelines.