India's cartoonists built an audience online - now their posts are being restricted
Summary
Indian cartoonists Satish Acharya and Manjul say Instagram restricted their work in India without giving them clear explanations. Meta says it may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with Indian IT Rules, which let authorities and courts order platforms to block or limit content.Key Facts
- Instagram restricted Acharya’s profile in India from 28 September to 6 October, then blocked it again for three days in October.
- During the restrictions, users in India could not find Acharya’s profile through search or open it through a web link.
- Manjul said Instagram restricted a post criticizing the Election Commission over changes to voter rolls.
- Meta did not provide the BBC with specific reasons for restricting Acharya’s account or Manjul’s post.
- India’s IT Rules allow authorities and courts to order social media platforms to remove or restrict content.
- The Indian Express reported that government agencies sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders through the Sahyog portal from March to July; the figures do not show how many items platforms restricted or removed.
- Several media outlets reported that authorities asked Meta to prevent its recommendation systems from steering users toward a limited set of narratives and to strengthen checks on content that could cause public disorder or incite violence.
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