On March 31, 2026, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology released the IT Rules (Second Draft Amendments), 2026 for public consultation. These rules govern intermediaries, which are platforms that let people share or access content of others without making any content themselves, such as social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and even YouTube, WhatsApp and Telegram. If these rules come into force, they can fundamentally change the way we use these online platforms and participate in our democracy.
HERE’S WHY YOU SHOULD CARE
1. The Draft Amendments give vast powers to remove and block all “news and current affairs content” to the Executive Branch of the Government
Most things we talk about online can be considered as “news and current affairs content.” Discussing a cricket match, satirical posts about events, people, and places, and even posts on how poorly your portfolio is performing due to market events could be enough to hold you to the same legal standards as a “publisher” (news agencies, online papers, etc.), and your content can then be removed or blocked by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Such a wide scope would also make platforms more likely to remove any content to avoid legal risk, resulting in censorship.
Would you still continue to post about current affairs if your profile could be terminated just for doing so?
2. The Ministry can now issue instructions to platforms, which they have to comply with mandatorily.
Normally, any Rules that the Ministry makes have to be placed before Parliament for review. This allows for debate, discussion, and transparency. But these Draft Amendments hand over full control to the MeitY to make such rules without any input from Parliament. This means that directions can be issued in secret, followed in secret, with no transparency and no public input.
Wouldn’t you want laws to be made transparently, and by the people you voted for?
3. Your right to erase your personal data could be compromised.
Your data could be stored by platforms such as Instagram for 6 months, even if you opted to have your data erased from their records or if your consent has been withdrawn. At the same time, it is not specified why this rule has been added.
Wouldn’t you want your data to be erased by platforms when you are done using them?
For the above reasons, SFLC.in calls for the complete and immediate withdrawal of these Draft Amendments.
[TL;DR]
You should care because these Draft Amendment Rules because they:
- Weaken your privacy by allowing platforms to retain your data longer than necessary;
- Concentrate power in the hands of the Executive with no democratic checks and safeguards; and
- Threaten free speech by bringing ordinary users under content regulation frameworks meant for publishers.
As concerned citizens, you can choose to submit your comments, objections, and concerns to the Ministry by 14th April, 2026 to the email ID linked here: itrules.consultation@meity.gov.in
