Targeted By PM Modi's Government, WhatsApp, Twitter Push Back

India's large and growing internet base has magnified the government's concerns about disinformation, hate speech, and other dangers online.

Sandeep Ravindranath, an Indian filmmaker, posted his latest work to YouTube in May. The video, a nine-minute fictional drama with no dialogue titled 'Anthem for Kashmir', depicts a young political activist on the lam from authorities. Indian viewers likely picked up on its numerous references to alleged extrajudicial murders in the militarised state.

In late June, YouTube sent Mr Ravindranath a note saying a government entity had complained about the film. The details of the government notice were confidential, it said, but the company was taking 'Anthem for Kashmir' offline in the country. The filmmaker wasn't surprised. "People have been thrown into prison for just Facebook posts," he says.

Kashmir has long been a sensitive subject in India, but other issues have also become electrified recently. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has grown more aggressive about rooting out cybercrimes and what it calls "fake news" on social media. Under Indian law, including rules issued in 2021, executives at companies that don't comply with content removal requests could face jail time.

Twice this year, Indian journalists have been arrested for online activities in cases that attracted international attention. The government has also moved to make Meta Platforms Inc's WhatsApp hand over information about certain encrypted chats, citing public safety concerns.