India blocks 10,500 social media URLs promoting Khalistan referendum in three years

New Delhi, Dec 02: The Indian government has blocked approximately 10,500 social media URLs linked to the pro-Khalistan referendum over the past three years, under Section 69A of the Information Technology (IT) Act.

This action was discussed in a recent meeting between the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and senior officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, reported Indian Express.

“Since 2021, around 10,500 URLs related to the Khalistan referendum have been blocked under section 69 (A) of the IT Act. Also, many mobile apps launched for spreading the Khalistan referendum were blocked by the department concerned… Around 2,100 URLs related to the PFI (Popular Front of India) were blocked under Section 69 (A) of the IT Act,” it said while quoting a source.

Several radicalisation posts/accounts related to LTTE, J&K militants, Waris Punjab De (WPD) have also been blocked, it added.

In addition to the 10,500 pro-Khalistan URLs, over 2,100 links related to the PFI have been blocked. The total number of blocked URLs over the past three years stands at 28,079, the majority of which were from Facebook (10,976) and X (formerly Twitter) (10,139). A significant portion of blocked Facebook URLs were involved in fraud schemes, with users directed to third-party sites or app stores to download malware or join fraudulent WhatsApp groups.

The Centre has also blocked 2,211 YouTube accounts, 2,198 Instagram accounts, 225 Telegram accounts, and 138 WhatsApp accounts during this period. Breaking down the data by year, the government blocked 6,775 accounts in 2022, 12,483 in 2023, and 8,821 so far in 2024. On X, 3,417 accounts were blocked in 2022, 3,772 in 2023, and 2,950 until September 30, 2024. Facebook saw the blocking of 1,743 accounts in 2022, 6,074 in 2023, and 3,159 this year.

Notably, many of the blocked accounts were used to promote fraudulent schemes, including fake trading, investment, and work-from-home opportunities. On platforms like YouTube, 809 accounts were blocked in 2022, 862 in 2023, and 540 in 2024. Similarly, 355 Instagram accounts were blocked in 2022, 814 in 2023, and 1,029 in 2024. WhatsApp saw 66 accounts blocked in 2022, 16 in 2023, and 56 so far this year.

The URLs and accounts were blocked based on recommendations from the Ministry of Home Affairs, following inputs from intelligence agencies about content that posed a threat to India’s sovereignty, integrity, and public order.

Under Section 69A of the IT Act, the government has the authority to issue content-blocking orders to online intermediaries such as internet service providers, telecom service providers, and social media platforms if the content is deemed to undermine national security or public safety.