The Indian government has issued a strong advisory to all online platforms, particularly social media companies, including Instagram, Facebook and more, cautioning them against lapses in handling obscene, vulgar, pornographic and child sexual abuse material on their services. The warning, as issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on December 29, 2025, makes it clear that the failure to comply with existing laws could invite criminal prosecution.
In its advisory, MeitY asked the intermediaries to urgently review their internal compliance systems and strengthen content moderation practices. The ministry also noted that several platforms have not been acting decisively or consistently against the unlawful content, even after the clear obligations under Indian law.
The government also reminded the platforms that the legal protection they enjoy under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act is conditional. Platforms are required to exercise due diligence to ensure that users do not upload or circulate content that is obscene, sexually explicit, paedophilic, harmful to children, or otherwise prohibited. The ministry further warned that non-compliance with the rules may lead to action under the IT Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and other applicable criminal statutes.
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As per MeitY, the growing need for stricter enforcement when it comes to identifying, reporting and swiftly removing objectionable content, as outlined in the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The advisory stressed that the platforms must act promptly once they get actual knowledge of illegal materials, either through court orders or official notices from authorised government agencies.
Under the IT Rules, intermediaries must also remove content depicting sexual acts or impersonation within 24 hours of receiving a complaint from the affected person or someone acting on their behalf.
The ministry has directed social media companies to immediately audit their compliance frameworks, content moderation tools, and user enforcement mechanisms, and ensure continuous adherence to the IT Act and the 2021 regulations.