Your Instagram reel is now ‘news’ — and the Govt wants to censor it |
While the government has already been using the IT Rules 2021 to block online content and creators, its powers are about to expand significantly — potentially applying to any user who posts on “current affairs or news”.
On March 30, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) moved to formalise this expansion by releasing a draft of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Second Amendment Rules, 2026.
The government issued this proposal just days after it blocked the accounts of satirists, cartoonists, and political commentators in late March. Authorities used Section 69A of the IT Act to justify these withholdings, citing concerns over sovereignty and public order.
What the new amendments propose
The government describes the amendments as “clarificatory and procedural,” intended to improve “legal certainty” and “strengthen enforceability”. But the draft fundamentally alters who is regulated, how actions are triggered, and the speed at which platforms must comply. Here’s a look at some of the provisions in these draft rules:
1) Rule 8(1) proviso — Extends news regulation to user content
The amendment expands Rule 8(1) to apply Rules 14, 15, and 16 (blocking and oversight provisions) not only to publishers but also to intermediaries and to user-generated “news and current affairs” content.
Example: A journalist’s tweet thread on a protest or a Dhruv Rathee YouTube explainer could now be reviewed and blocked using the same system earlier used for news publishers.
2) Rule 8(1) Part III — Platforms and users under the same framework
By extending Part III of the IT Rules to users, the draft brings platforms (such as X, Instagram, and YouTube) and non-publisher users under the same regulatory framework as digital news media.
Example: Earlier, a Newslaundry report could face scrutiny — now, even an individual explaining a court judgment on Instagram could fall under the same mechanism.
3) Rule 14(2) — IDC can now examine “any matter”
The Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC), which earlier handled complaints, can now examine any “matter,” including those referred directly by the government.
Example: A ministry can directly flag a viral video criticising a policy and send it for review, even if no one files a complaint.
4) Rule 14(2) & 14(5) — Govt-triggered action (suo motu)
By replacing “complaints” with “matters,” the rules allow the government to initiate action on its own, without waiting for grievances.
Example: As seen during the BBC documentary controversy (2023), content can be blocked proactively — this kind of action now gets a........