“What would play a crucial role in determining whether the timeline should be further shortened to an hour is the compliance track record of social media companies with the recently implemented 2-3 hour time window,” said the official. One of the most contentious changes it has implemented is that social media platforms must now remove content within 2-3 hours as opposed to 24-36 hours before. This is only one of the ways in which the government is doubling down on blocking content on social media. Not just particular pieces of content, but entire accounts on social media platforms like X – which typically shared anti-establishment content and commentary – have been blocked in recent weeks. Platforms must now remove non-consensual intimate imagery within two hours, as opposed to 24 hours earlier, and other forms of unlawful content within three hours, from an earlier requirement to act on it within 36 hours.

Source: Indian Express March 24, 2026 16:06 UTC