Tanushree Basuroy
Research expert covering India
Internet freedom in India - statistics & facts
India is among the leading countries in the world in terms of internet shutdowns. State-wide internet blackouts have been a common occurrence over the past few years under the current administration. Despite efforts to enhance digital infrastructure, the degree of internet freedom in the country has decreased overall.
The United Nations Human Rights Council expanded the scope of human rights to the internet in 2012. This included the right to internet access, freedom of information, privacy and digital rights that are fundamental in upholding liberal democratic values. However, the degree of internet freedom that ordinary citizens experience depends widely on governments in their respective countries across the world.
Apart from shutdowns that were implemented under claims to prevent misinformation and maintain law and order, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had ordered the blocking of websites, apps, and the removal of content on social media platforms under Section 69A of the IT Act on multiple occasions. Citizens' freedom of expression was curbed to an extent where social media users were wary of posting or sharing political opinions or any politically-related content online, and had concerns about being surveilled by the government.
Another aspect of freedom on the internet is data privacy. Additionally, the Personal Data Protection Bill could make it legal for government entities to obtain personal data of citizens without prior consent and justification. Unsurprisingly, India was one of the leading requestors of content removal on major internet platforms including Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
Furthermore, the fact that India does not consider access to the internet a fundamental right makes countering the legality of actions that restrict online activity challenging. While the right laws and policies to mitigate cyber crime and increase cyber security are essential, the lines of digital rights and freedom of speech online are still somewhat blurred.
Internet blackouts as a political tool
As of 2022, the country had the largest population of citizens affected by internet shutdowns, costing over 100 million U.S. dollars. The country also caused the longest shut down by a democracy lasting almost an entire year in 2020. This was the result of a government- imposed ban on internet and telecommunication services in the conflict-ridden Jammu and Kashmir region. According to the government, this was to avoid violence after the revocation of the region’s autonomous status. Since then, the restriction periods have persisted albeit for shorter durations.Apart from shutdowns that were implemented under claims to prevent misinformation and maintain law and order, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had ordered the blocking of websites, apps, and the removal of content on social media platforms under Section 69A of the IT Act on multiple occasions. Citizens' freedom of expression was curbed to an extent where social media users were wary of posting or sharing political opinions or any politically-related content online, and had concerns about being surveilled by the government.
Challenges to digital freedom
The government’s push for digital India has ensured that common citizens’ personal and professional lives are largely dependent on the availability of internet technologies. Losing internet even for a day severely disrupts essential services in addition to affecting businesses of all sizes.Another aspect of freedom on the internet is data privacy. Additionally, the Personal Data Protection Bill could make it legal for government entities to obtain personal data of citizens without prior consent and justification. Unsurprisingly, India was one of the leading requestors of content removal on major internet platforms including Google, Facebook, and Twitter.
Furthermore, the fact that India does not consider access to the internet a fundamental right makes countering the legality of actions that restrict online activity challenging. While the right laws and policies to mitigate cyber crime and increase cyber security are essential, the lines of digital rights and freedom of speech online are still somewhat blurred.
