Social Media: New IT rules come into effect from November 1, 2025. Know which officers will not be able to remove your content..

New IT Rules: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) of the Government of India has made major amendments to Rule 3(1)(d) of the IT Rules, 2021. The primary purpose of these amendments is to make the process of removing illegal content online more transparent, accountable, and safe. These rules will come into effect nationwide from November 1, 2025. Simply put, the government has tightened the content removal rules for social media platforms (such as Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube). Now, no junior official will be able to order the removal of any post or video at their own discretion.

Background: What were the old rules?
The IT Rules, 2021, were first notified on February 25, 2021. They have been amended periodically (in 2022 and 2023). Under these rules, all social media companies (intermediaries) are responsible for immediately removing "illegal" content from their platforms, provided they receive notice of it through a court order or government notification.

The government felt there were some shortcomings in this process. Therefore, MeitY decided that:

Senior officials should be responsible for issuing content removal orders.

The definition of "illegal content" should be clearer.

Government orders should be periodically reviewed.

Key points of the changes: Why is it important for you to know?
Here are the three biggest and most important changes in the new rules:

1. Now, only senior officials can issue orders
This is the biggest change. Now, only high-ranking officials will be able to issue orders to remove any illegal online information (posts, videos, photos, links).

For government ministries/departments:

The official issuing the order must be of the rank of Joint Secretary or above. If the Joint Secretary is not available, the Director of the agency or an officer of equivalent rank will be able to issue the order.

For Police Officers:
In the police department, this order can only be issued by a special officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) or above. This means that lower-level officers will no longer be able to order the removal of content at their own discretion.

2. Orders must clearly state all the details (preventing arbitrary action).
Previously, the government often simply sent a 'notification' to remove content. This will no longer be the case. Each order/notification must clearly state the following:

Legal basis: The statutory provision is being used to remove the content.

Description of the violation: It must clearly state what is wrong with the content (e.g., whether it is hate speech, fake news, or obscene).

URL/Link: It will be mandatory to provide the exact URL or link of the content to be removed.

This rule replaces the earlier blanket notification and fulfills the requirement of providing "reasoned intimation" under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, thereby increasing transparency and accuracy.

3. Monthly Review Mechanism
The order will be monitored after it is issued.

All content removal orders issued under Rule 3(1)(d) will be reviewed monthly.

This review will be conducted by an officer not below the rank of Secretary to the relevant government.

This will ensure that all content removal actions are necessary, proportionate, and within the ambit of the law.

Expected Impact: What will this achieve?

Transparency and Accountability: The issuance of orders by a high-ranking officer and the monthly review will maintain checks and balances.

Clarity for companies: Social media platforms will now know the grounds for removing content, making it easier for them to comply with the law.
Safety for citizens: This amendment strikes the right balance between citizens' constitutional rights and the government's regulatory powers. It will prevent arbitrary restrictions and strengthen the legal restrictions under the IT Act, 2000.

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