Government Crackdown: Social Media Platforms Warned Over Obscene and Vulgar Content
The Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) has sent a clear message to tech companies: clean up or face the music. In a fresh advisory released on December 29, 2025, the Centre issued a stern warning to social media platforms and online intermediaries. The core of the issue is the persistent presence of obscene and vulgar content that continues to circulate online despite existing regulations. The government has made it crystal clear that failing to take stern action against such illegal material will lead to serious legal consequences under the law of the land.
Immediate Compliance Review Ordered
It is not just a general warning; the government wants to see real change in how these companies operate. According to the advisory reported by news agency PTI, social media companies are now required to immediately review their compliance frameworks. This move comes after the ministry noticed a lack of strict action against obscene and vulgar content and other unlawful materials. The Centre is pushing for a more consistent and rigorous approach to identifying and removing content that violates Indian laws.
The Legal Risks for Tech Giants
The stakes are incredibly high for these digital intermediaries. The government has reminded these platforms of their statutory obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules, 2021. If they fail to exercise due diligence, they risk losing their "safe harbor" protection. As the advisory explicitly states:
“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.”
Essentially, if a platform allows obscene and vulgar content to stay up, they can be held legally responsible for it just like the person who posted it.
Criminal Prosecution for Non-Compliance
The warning goes beyond just administrative fines. The Centre has highlighted that non-compliance could lead to criminal prosecution under various statutes, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The government is no longer willing to tolerate laxity when it involves material that is pornographic, paedophilic, or harmful to children. To reinforce this, the advisory noted:
“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.”
By keeping obscene and vulgar content on their servers, these platforms are effectively inviting legal trouble for themselves and their management teams.
Strict Timelines for Content Removal
The Ministry has also reinforced the need for speed. Intermediaries must act expeditiously to remove or disable access to unlawful content once they receive "actual knowledge" through court orders or government notices. Specifically, under the IT Rules 2021, any content depicting an individual in a sexual act or conduct must be removed within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. There is zero room for delay when dealing with obscene and vulgar content, and the government expects these platforms to use technology-based measures to proactively prevent such material from being shared in the first place.
Why is this happening now? The government pointed out that it has been flooded with complaints from the public, stakeholders, and even the courts regarding the lack of decency on digital platforms. Despite previous warnings, the identifying and reporting of obscene and vulgar content has remained inconsistent. The advisory explicitly says:
“The intermediaries shall not permit the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law for the time being in force in any manner whatsoever.”
With this move, the Centre is ensuring that the internet remains a safer space for all users, especially children, by forcing platforms to take full responsibility for the obscene and vulgar content they host.
Immediate Compliance Review Ordered
It is not just a general warning; the government wants to see real change in how these companies operate. According to the advisory reported by news agency PTI, social media companies are now required to immediately review their compliance frameworks. This move comes after the ministry noticed a lack of strict action against obscene and vulgar content and other unlawful materials. The Centre is pushing for a more consistent and rigorous approach to identifying and removing content that violates Indian laws.The Legal Risks for Tech Giants
The stakes are incredibly high for these digital intermediaries. The government has reminded these platforms of their statutory obligations under the IT Act and IT Rules, 2021. If they fail to exercise due diligence, they risk losing their "safe harbor" protection. As the advisory explicitly states:“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.”
Essentially, if a platform allows obscene and vulgar content to stay up, they can be held legally responsible for it just like the person who posted it.
Criminal Prosecution for Non-Compliance
The warning goes beyond just administrative fines. The Centre has highlighted that non-compliance could lead to criminal prosecution under various statutes, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The government is no longer willing to tolerate laxity when it involves material that is pornographic, paedophilic, or harmful to children. To reinforce this, the advisory noted:“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.”
By keeping obscene and vulgar content on their servers, these platforms are effectively inviting legal trouble for themselves and their management teams.
Strict Timelines for Content Removal
The Ministry has also reinforced the need for speed. Intermediaries must act expeditiously to remove or disable access to unlawful content once they receive "actual knowledge" through court orders or government notices. Specifically, under the IT Rules 2021, any content depicting an individual in a sexual act or conduct must be removed within 24 hours of receiving a complaint. There is zero room for delay when dealing with obscene and vulgar content, and the government expects these platforms to use technology-based measures to proactively prevent such material from being shared in the first place. Why This Warning Was Necessary
Why is this happening now? The government pointed out that it has been flooded with complaints from the public, stakeholders, and even the courts regarding the lack of decency on digital platforms. Despite previous warnings, the identifying and reporting of obscene and vulgar content has remained inconsistent. The advisory explicitly says:
“The intermediaries shall not permit the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law for the time being in force in any manner whatsoever.”
With this move, the Centre is ensuring that the internet remains a safer space for all users, especially children, by forcing platforms to take full responsibility for the obscene and vulgar content they host.
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