The Indian Army has been empowered to directly control social media content about its operations and image. To facilitate this, the Indian Defense Ministry has appointed a senior officer from the Additional Directorate General of Strategic Communications (ADG SC) as the “Nodal Officer.”
Under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, this officer now has the authority to issue takedown requests to social media platforms regarding illegal content related to the Indian military. Previously, the Army relied on the Ministry of Electronics and IT to handle requests for the removal or blocking of such content.
With this new directive, the ADG (Strategic Communication) can identify specific cases and directly issue notices to media platforms concerning military-related content. Sources indicate that it will then be up to the intermediaries to determine how to address these requests. This change aims to streamline the process, as the previous reliance on the Ministry of Electronics and IT often resulted in delays.
In a related incident, in February, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting ordered the removal of an article from The Caravan that made allegations against the Indian Army. Section 79 of the IT Act grants various ministries, departments, and law enforcement agencies broad authority to issue takedown notices, often with fewer limitations than other sections of the Act.
Legal experts suggest that these developments indicate a growing trend where military organizations seek legislative protection in response to perceived threats to their reputations. This approach may also serve as a cautionary example to Western nations that view India as a champion of democracy, as it imposes limits aimed at safeguarding the military’s image.
