Digital Restrictions: Indian Cartoonists Face Repeated Blocks

Indian cartoonists are facing repeated digital blocks as the government issues thousands of content restriction orders to social media platforms.

Satish Acharya, a 55-year-old artist, discovered on Tuesday that his Instagram profile had been blocked in India for the second time in three weeks. His account was inaccessible to users in the country from 28 September to 6 October, and again for three days earlier this week. During these periods, users attempting to view his profile saw a message stating it was unavailable under India's Information Technology Rules.

The IT Rules allow authorities and courts to order platforms to remove or restrict content. Acharya told the BBC that Meta, Instagram's parent company, did not explain why his profile was restricted. He wrote to the company but received no reply. He was preparing to go to court when access was restored in early October, only to lose it again later.

Manjul, another cartoonist, had a post restricted just weeks ago. The post criticized India's election commission over its revision of voter rolls, which removed 130 million names. His profile remained accessible, but the specific post was limited.

The Indian Express reported that government agencies sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders to platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube between March and July. These figures were obtained through a right-to-information request via the federal government's Sahyog portal. The data does not specify how many posts were ultimately removed.

Meta stated that it may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with India's IT Rules but did not detail the reasons for the specific restrictions on Acharya or Manjul. Technology policy expert Prateek Waghre noted that some platforms, particularly Meta, appear more willing to comply with these orders, while X appears more resistant to push back.

Authorities have also sought greater scrutiny of how platforms recommend content. Reports indicate that the government asked Meta to ensure its systems did not steer users towards a limited set of narratives and to strengthen checks on content that could cause public disorder. The BBC sought comment from India's IT ministry but has not received a response.

Acharya noted that he never faced official restrictions during previous governments, though his cartoons often targeted the ruling party. He and other independent cartoonists rely on social media to reach audiences without traditional newspaper backing. Manjul stated that this independence allows them to draw, but it creates a new vulnerability: dependence on for-profit platforms that answer to advertisers. Taneja, creator of the comic Sanitary Panels, described social media as a double-edged sword, noting that Meta's compliance reflects commercial priorities.