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Protecting Press Freedom in the Digital Age

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We are proud to launch our video series, Protecting Press Freedom in the Digital Age, produced in collaboration with Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Featuring Indian journalists from diverse regional and linguistic backgrounds, the series brings their firsthand experiences from the ground. Together, we step behind the headlines to unpack the risks and restrictions that shape everyday reporting in the digital age.

SFLC.in has advocated for press freedom, the right to free speech and expression, and the online safety and digital rights of journalists since 2010. We believe a safe internet is the foundation of a free press. It allows journalists to report securely, keeps information flowing, and protects the public’s right to know.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is a Paris-based independent international organisation that defends and promotes freedom of information worldwide. Its work spans field interventions, advocacy, and the annual World Press Freedom Index.

Why this matters now

India’s rank in the World Press Freedom Index 2026 has fallen six places, from 151 in 2025 to 157 out of 180 countries (Source: Reporters Without Borders). In the digital age, journalists face a growing range of threats to their safety and to the free flow of information. Left unchecked, these threats risk pushing press freedom into further decline.

This series explores five of the most pressing challenges facing journalists in India today.

Internet shutdowns


We spoke with Amit Kumar, Executive Editor of East Mojo, about reporting from regions that face frequent internet shutdowns, and what they mean for journalism, press freedom, and the public’s right to information. The conversation also looks at how shutdowns are ordered and carried out, how journalists can prepare before, during, and after one, and what legal resources are available to them.

Online gender-based violence against journalists

Featured Journalists:

  • Geeta Seshu, Journalist and Co-Editor, Free Speech Collective
  • Meera Devi, Managing Editor, Khabar Lahariya
  • Suneeta Prajapati, Operations Lead, Chambal Academy
  • Manisha Pande, Managing Editor, Newslaundry

These journalists share how they face different forms of online gender-based violence, on platforms including WhatsApp, X, Instagram, and Facebook, simply for doing their jobs. They call for stronger, user-centric mechanisms that reflect women’s experiences online, reporting systems that are robust and quick to respond, and cyber cells that take these complaints seriously.

Surveillance and privacy breaches

Featured Journalists:

  • Degree Prasad Chouhan, human rights defender and activist for Dalit and Adivasi communities, targeted in the Pegasus spyware attack
  • Geeta Seshu, Journalist and Co-Editor, Free Speech Collective
  • Abhinandan Sekhri, Co-Founder and CEO, Newslaundry

This episode examines how state and non-state surveillance affects reporting and communication, and how visible or hidden it can be. The journalists reflect on the toll that surveillance and data breaches take on trust, from relationships with sources to the protection of vulnerable communities. They also make the case for greater transparency and accountability in India’s surveillance laws, and for reform from a press freedom perspective. The video closes with practical digital safety tips to help protect yourself and your devices.

Search and seizure of journalists’ devices

We spoke with Abhinandan Sekhri, Co-Founder and CEO of Newslaundry, about his own experience and the legal landscape surrounding the search and seizure of devices in India.

Content takedown and censorship

Featured Journalists:

  • Geeta Seshu, Journalist and Co-Editor, Free Speech Collective
  • Meera Devi, Managing Editor, Khabar Lahariya
  • Suneeta Prajapati, Operations Lead, Chambal Academy
  • Manisha Pande, Managing Editor, Newslaundry

Here we explore how content blocking and account suspensions have affected these journalists’ work, and how the reasons platforms give, along with the way they handle complaints, often leave reporters without real recourse. The conversation turns to platform regulation, what strong and accountable mechanisms could look like, and why open channels of communication are essential to reporting and press work.

Standing with journalists

Through this series, we have gained a deeper understanding of the challenges journalists in India face every day.

SFLC.in works to provide digital security and safety for journalists, so they can do their work with confidence. Through RightsLine, our pro-bono digital rights helpline, we offer journalists and citizens across India practical, immediate legal support for account suspensions, content takedowns, online gender-based violence, and cyber fraud.

You don’t have to navigate it alone. Report it via RightsLine: https://rightsline.sflc.in

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Vote Link Phishing Scam: Recovering A Hacked X Account

Vote Link Phishing Scam: Recovering A Hacked X Account

SFLC.in condemns the recent directive issued by the Chairman of the Bar Council of India (BCI) ordering a blanket freeze on the enrolment of the 2026 graduating batch of NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad for protesting against the invitation of the Chief Justice of India Surya Kant as the chief guest at their upcoming convocation. While we acknowledge the subsequent withdrawal of this directive following widespread public outcry, the initial order is a glaring example of regulatory overreach that is firmly unconstitutional, ultra vires, and violates the fundamental right to privacy and right to practice a profession of the students. The deployment of such arbitrary measures on the eve of India’s 80th Independence Day deeply undermines the Constitutional freedoms we are entitled to as citizens; the very freedoms which were secured through the tireless advocacy and sacrifices of lawyers including the father of the nation, Advocate Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The peaceful expression of dissent, which includes submitting representations regarding university affairs and organising/engaging in peaceful protest, is a core component of the fundamental right to free speech and expression protected under Article 19(1)(a), which forms part of the “Golden Triangle” of the Constitution of India. Additionally, attempting to strip law students of their fundamental right to practice their profession by enrolling as advocates with the Bar and earn a livelihood as a retaliatory measure for exercising their constitutional rights is arbitrary and violates Article 19(1)(g) and Article 21 of the Constitution. Neither the Advocates Act, 1961 nor the Bar Council of India Rules confer any statutory authority upon the BCI or its Chairman to enforce collective punishment, or withhold professional registration via enrollments. In fact, as per Section 25 of the Advocates Act, 1961, the power to receive applications, verify qualifications, and enroll advocates lies solely in the State Bar Councils. Of further concern is the directive’s call for the university to profile those students and teachers who participated in the protests, identify the signatories to the joint representation, and place additional scrutiny on those that proliferated the representation on social media. This amounts to a demand for the surveillance of students exercising their fundamental rights, and reflects a disturbing and growing pattern, which is the weaponisation of regulatory frameworks and legal regimes that are meant to protect citizens into instruments of state surveillance and intimidation. It is important to note here that while the restriction on enrollment has since been withdrawn, the direction to institute an inquiry remains in force, and is yet to commence. While SFLC.in welcomes the withdrawal of the Chairman’s directive restricting enrollments, the threat of punitive action is not fully dissipated. SFLC.in will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that no student or faculty member is subjected to vindictive inquiries, digital tracking, or arbitrary administrative retaliation.

SFLC.in Condemns the BCI Chairman’s Unconstitutional Directive Against NALSAR Graduates

SFLC.in’s Statement Against Arbitrary Content Takedown and Account Restrictions Faced by Public Representatives and Journalists