{"id":96968,"date":"2026-04-07T11:35:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=96968"},"modified":"2026-04-07T11:35:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T06:05:53","slug":"understanding-indias-internet-censorship-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/understanding-indias-internet-censorship-regime\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding India\u2019s Internet Censorship Regime: Laws, ISP Blocking, and Challenges in Internet Censorship Regime"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Internet Censorship Law Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet access in India depends on the <\/span><b>Internet Service Provider (ISP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, not just in terms of price and quality, but also which websites are accessible.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISPs block websites based on government and court orders, but implementation differs, leading to varying blocklists across providers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the <\/span><b>Information Technology Act, 2000<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (Sections 69A and 79), the government has the power to order such blocks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISP licensing agreements require providers to comply with blocking orders, which are confidential and binding.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Internet Censorship in India<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet censorship refers to the control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the internet.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In India, it sits at the intersection of free speech, national security, public order, and digital governance.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Constitutional Basis<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 19(1)(a) guarantees freedom of speech and expression, which courts have extended to online speech.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Article 19(2) permits reasonable restrictions on grounds of sovereignty, security of state, public order, decency, and morality.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Internet shutdown or censorship must pass the test of reasonableness and proportionality.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Legal Framework<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Information Technology Act, 2000<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 69A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Empowers the Central Government to block websites\/content in the interest of sovereignty, security, public order, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 66A (now struck down)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Criminalised &#8220;offensive&#8221; online speech; declared unconstitutional in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015).<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Section 79<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Safe harbour provision for intermediaries.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>IT (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mandates traceability of message originators (threatens end-to-end encryption).<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Requires significant social media intermediaries to appoint Grievance Officers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Controversial for placing heavy compliance burdens on platforms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Telecom Act, 2023<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Replaces the Telegraph Act; consolidates powers related to telecom suspension, including internet services.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Types of Censorship Practiced in India<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Website Blocking<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Blocking of URLs\/domains by ISPs on government orders (e.g., pornographic sites, piracy sites, separatist content).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Internet Shutdowns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Suspension of mobile\/broadband internet in specific regions during unrest (e.g., Jammu &amp; Kashmir, Manipur).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Social Media Takedowns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Government directives to platforms to remove specific posts, accounts, or content.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>App Bans<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2014 Banning of Chinese apps (e.g., TikTok, PUBG Mobile) under Section 69A citing national security.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>How ISPs Block Websites: DNS and Protocols<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Internet works through protocols like Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and Domain Name System (DNS) among others. ISPs can use any of these to block websites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">DNS (Domain Name System) is the first step when accessing a website, converting domain names into IP addresses.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ISPs often block websites at the DNS level using DNS poisoning, where incorrect addresses are returned instead of the real ones.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a result, users are redirected away from the actual website.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most Indian ISPs prefer DNS blocking because it is cheap and easy to implement without advanced inspection.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What the Data Shows: Inconsistent and Opaque Website Blocking<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Scale of the Study<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Analysis of 294 million domains across six ISPs in 2025 found 43,083 blocked domains.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lack of Uniform Blocking<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Only 1,414 domains were blocked by all six ISPs. ISPs do not block the same websites despite receiving similar orders.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Variation by Content Type<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Majority of blocked sites include: Piracy, peer-to-peer sharing, pornography, and gambling. Blocking is inconsistent across ISPs for these categories.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Higher Consistency in Sensitive Cases<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; Domains related to terrorism and militancy show higher blocking consistency. Some cases (e.g., Weibo, The Kashmir Walla) show uniform enforcement.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Arbitrary and Uneven Implementation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; ISPs engage in arbitrary blocking practices. Lack of standard guidelines leads to a haphazard blocking system.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Issue of Opacity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; The blocking system is non-transparent. There is a need for disclosure of blocked domains, except in sensitive cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/technology\/understanding-indias-internet-censorship-regime\/article70831644.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding India\u2019s Internet Censorship Regime explains ISP blocking, legal powers, and inconsistencies. India\u2019s Internet Censorship Regime remains opaque and uneven across providers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":96978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[6672,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-96968","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-internet-censorship","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96968"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":96988,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96968\/revisions\/96988"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}