In 2024, the Indian government blocked a record number of websites and social media platforms. According to a report, a total of more than 28,000 URLs have been blocked.
Following the advice of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government blocked these URLs as they contained harmful content, deemed to threaten the security and unity of India. This decision has been taken based on the information of multiple intelligence agencies.
The blocked URLs reportedly included several websites with pro-Khalistan separatist movements, hate speech and content threatening national security or public order. Using Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the government has blocked this harmful content.
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Total number of URLs blocked
Most of the content has been removed from social media platforms like Facebook (now Meta) and X (formerly Twitter). More than 10,000 links are blocked on each platform. A large number of URLs have also been removed from other platforms like YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp.
In 2021, around 10,500 links related to the Khalistan referendum were blocked under Section 69(A) of the IT Act. Also, many mobile apps promoting the Khalistan referendum have also been blocked. According to the report, around 2,300 links related to Popular Front of India (PFI) were blocked under Section 69(4) of the IT Act.
In the last three years, the government has blocked a total of 28,079 URLs on various platforms. Facebook had the highest number of blocked URLs at 10,976, followed by XA (formerly Twitter) at 10,136.
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Facebook:
- 1,743 URLs were blocked in 2022.
- 6,074 URLs were blocked in 2023.
- 3,159 URLs have been blocked in 2024 (as of September).
X (formerly Twitter):
- 3,417 URLs were blocked in 2022.
- 3,772 URLs were blocked in 2023.
- 2,950 URLs blocked in 2024.
YouTube:
A total of 2,211 URLs have been blocked
- 809 URLs in 2022.
- 862 URLs in 2023.
- 540 URLs in 2024.
Instagram:
- 355 URLs were blocked in 2022.
- 814 URLs were blocked in 2023.
- 1,029 URLs were blocked in 2024.
WhatsApp:
A total of 138 accounts have been blocked.
- 66 accounts in 2022
- 56 accounts in 2024
Telegram:
225 URLs have been blocked.
Incidentally, it has been reported that many of the blocked FourBooks URLs were used to send users to third-party websites or app stores. On these sites, users were either tricked into downloading malware Android apps or influenced to join WhatsApp groups. These again tried to trick those users with fake trading or work-from-home offers.