- The Centre said it has introduced safeguards under IT rules for transparency in content takedown actions
- Asaduddin Owaisi sought data on content removal, blocking, and account suspensions in Lok Sabha
- The centre said IT Act 2000 and IT Rules 2021 form the legal basis for digital intermediaries
The Centre on Wednesday said it has introduced multiple safeguards under the Information Technology (IT) rules to ensure greater transparency, accountability and due process in content takedown and blocking actions, while maintaining an open and safe internet.
The response came in the Lok Sabha after AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi sought details on the implementation of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules and its subsequent amendments.
In an unstarred question, Owaisi asked whether the government had reviewed the implementation of the IT rules and sought aggregate data on content removal, blocking orders, and account suspensions issued over the past year.
He also asked about specific measures being adopted to improve legal transparency in such actions.
In a written reply, Union Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasda said the government remains committed to ensuring an open, safe, trust and accountable internet.
The minister said the IT Act, 2000, and the IT Rules, 2021, provide the legal framework governing digital intermediaries and online content. He highlighted a series of procedural safeguards introduced through amendments that came into effect on November 15, 2025.
He said directions to remove or disable unlawful content can now be issued only by senior officials of the rank of Joint Secretary or above or equivalent. In the case of law enforcement agencies, such powers are restricted to officers not below the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Police.
He also said intermediaries must be served with written and reasoned intimations clearly specifying the legal basis for the action, the relevant statutory provisions, the nature of the alleged violation, and the specific URLs involved.
The minister further said all content takedown directions are subject to monthly review by an officer not below the rank of Secretary to the appropriate government to assess their necessity, proportionality, and legality.
He said the amended framework seeks to balance citizens' constitutional rights with the government's responsibility to protect national sovereignty, public order, and state security.
