India blocks journalist Zubair’s posts on ‘X’
Platform says action taken under IT Act as government increases online content takedown orders
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — The Indian government has ordered social media platform X to block certain posts by journalist and fact-checker Mohammed Zubair under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, according to an email shared by Zubair.
Zubair, co-founder of fact-checking website Alt News, said X informed him that the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had issued a legal blocking order regarding posts on his account that showed videos of alleged violence by Hindutva groups during Ram Navami processions.
In its communication, X said it was legally required to withhold access to the specified content within India, while the posts would remain accessible outside the country.
The platform added that it could not share further details due to legal restrictions and advised that the order could be challenged through the courts or by contacting the ministry.
The development comes amid a wider increase in government-directed online content takedowns in India. According to a report by The Hindu newspaper, the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued an average of about 290 takedown notices per day within a year of being given direct powers to do so.
The ministry’s 2024–25 annual report stated that 111,185 pieces of “suspicious online content” had been blocked under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act as of March 31, 2025. Under this provision, social media platforms and other intermediaries can lose legal protection if they fail to remove flagged content after receiving government directions.
Indian authorities have said that intermediaries are required to remove such content within three hours of receiving a court order or official notice.
Separately, data from the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team showed a rise in cyber security incidents, with 2.94 million cases reported in 2025 compared to 2.04 million in 2024, with the highest number recorded in the national capital, New Delhi.
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