The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has doubled its online content blocking orders to 24,300 in 2025, officials said, citing a surge in deepfakes and AI-generated content. Roughly 60% of these orders targeted URLs on X, formerly Twitter, with 25% for Facebook and Instagram, and 5% for YouTube.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued 24,300 blocking orders by December 2025, double the 12,600 in 2024 and up from an average of 6,000 in 2023. Officials attributed the rise to deepfakes, objectionable posts, and AI-generated content on social media platforms.
Requests peaked during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 and have stayed high since. More than half came from nodal officers in the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of External Affairs, with others from various ministries, departments, and individuals. Several orders targeted Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube posts by political parties and politicians.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor lodged a recent high-profile complaint with the Home Ministry and MeitY over deepfake videos. Speaking to The Indian Express, he said, “It was best that I put up my complaints in writing. The fake content was apparently being generated from Pakistan and I am told, at least in India the fake content has been blocked.” On April 9, Tharoor posted on X about AI-generated voice-overs on his old interview footage spreading false statements.
Orders are issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act 2000 to protect sovereignty, security, public order, and foreign relations. A Blocking Committee, including representatives from Law and Justice, Home, Information and Broadcasting ministries, and CERT-In, reviews cases, with final approval from MeitY's Secretary. Social media firms like Meta and xAI attend virtual sittings, now held several times a week.
A senior official noted, “With the explosion of AI posts and the flood of deep fakes, we are now frequently issuing blocking orders under the emergency clause. Several requests also come to us from state governments for urgent intervention when a situation arises.”