Meta sets up automatic blocking for govt., police-referred content

India is now among a set of “limited countries” where Facebook and Instagram “automatically restrict content, at scale and based on local law requirements,” a company source told The Hindu. Meta, the parent firm of both social media platforms, has complied with censorship orders on a large scale in recent weeks, as the firm has been hit with a barrage of takedown notices from State police authorities as well as the Union government. Precise numbers of local law-related takedowns on the platforms will only be published by the firm in the second half of 2026.

The Sahyog portal, which provides a web link for authorised police officials around the country to send takedown notices to social media platforms, operates under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, under which social media platforms could lose “safe harbour” for content posted by users, and end up defending themselves in court alongside the people whose content has been targeted by authorities.