The Centre’s online content blocking orders have nearly tripled since 2023, reaching 31,000 between January and September 2026, as authorities respond to the spread of AI-generated content, deepfakes, online fraud and misleading information that has the potential to cause a threat to public order, officials familiar with the matter told NDTV.
The content included material described by the government as false or misleading, anti-India and inflammatory towards the armed forces. The government issued around 12,000 blocking orders in 2023 and more than 12,000 in 2024, before the figure rose to 23,000 in 2025, according to people familiar with the matter. The 2026 tally represents an increase of nearly 35% over the corresponding period in 2025. The government uses Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to direct online intermediaries, including Meta, X and Google, to block public access to specified content on grounds including national security, public order and the sovereignty and integrity of India. The Information Technology (Procedure and Safeguards for Blocking for Access of Information by Public) Rules, 2009, prescribe the process for issuing such directions, including emergency action. During the operation, authorities directed the blocking of more than 1,400 URLs, according to official statements.
“The increase in blocking orders has been particularly pronounced during national security-related episodes and with the advent of new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), which has made the spread of misleading content easier,” a person familiar with the matter told NDTV.
