Centre Warns Social Media Platforms to Remove Obscene Content

The Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) has warned social media companies to remove obscene, vulgar, pornographic and illegal content or face legal action. A fresh advisory was issued on December 29, 2025, as reported by PTI.

As per the advisory, Platforms (more than 50 lakh users) have been asked to immediately review their internal compliance systems, content moderation policies and user enforcement mechanisms.

Intermediaries are required to remove or disable access to unlawful content within the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules, 2021, after receiving court orders or government notices.

The government cautioned that failure to comply could lead to prosecution under the IT Act, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other applicable criminal laws against both platforms and their users.

MeitY said it has received repeated complaints from the public, stakeholders, Parliament and courts regarding the growing volume of online content that violates laws on decency and obscenity.