Act against obscene, illegal content or face prosecution: MeitY warns social media
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New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a notice to social media platforms and online intermediaries, warning them of legal consequences if they fail to act against obscene, vulgar, pornographic, or other illegal content on their platforms.
The advisory, dated December 29, 2025, directed online platforms and social media companies to immediately review their compliance frameworks and remove unlawful content. Failure to do so, the ministry said, could lead to prosecution.
“Intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, are reminded that they are statutorily obligated under Section 79 of the IT Act to observe due diligence as a condition for availing exemption from liability in respect of third-party information uploaded, published, hosted, shared, or transmitted on or through their platforms,” the advisory stated.
The notice comes following Supreme Court hearings on November 27, in which the court urged the Union government to draft fresh rules for a robust regulatory framework for online content, including user-generated content, within four weeks, after inviting public consultation.
MeitY also reminded platforms of their obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules, 2021, which require intermediaries to make reasonable efforts to ensure that users do not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update, or share any information that is obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, harmful to children, or otherwise unlawful.
“It is reiterated that non-compliance with the provisions of the IT Act and/or the IT Rules, 2021, may result in consequences, including prosecution under the IT Act, BNS, and other applicable criminal laws, against the intermediaries, platforms, and their users,” the advisory said.
The government noted that there is a “need for greater consistency and rigour” in the observance of due diligence obligations by intermediaries, particularly in the identification, reporting, and expeditious removal of content.
“These concerns have also been reflected in discussions in Parliament and proceedings before courts. In respect of certain specific instances brought to notice, the matter has also been referred to the appropriate law enforcement authorities for action in accordance with law,” MeitY added.