A significant spike in deepfake content and AI-generated offensive posts has led to a sharp increase in online content blocking orders issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), according to recent official data.
Government figures show a steep year-on-year rise: Around 6,000 blocking orders were issued in 2023
The number increased to 12,600 in 2024, It further surged to 24,300 in 2025, effectively doubling each year
Officials attribute this growth largely to the rising threat of deepfakes and the proliferation of harmful AI-generated content across social media platforms.
Platform-Wise Breakdown: Data indicates that the majority of flagged content was hosted on:X (formerly Twitter) — 60%
Platforms owned by Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram) — 25%
YouTube — 5%
Peak During ‘Operation Sindoor’
Sources revealed that requests and orders for content blocking peaked in May 2025 during Operation Sindoor. The volume of such requests has remained consistently high since then.
Source of Requests: More than half of the blocking requests originated from nodal officers of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External Affairs. The remaining requests were submitted by other government departments, ministries, and individual citizens.
Political Content Under Scrutiny
A substantial portion of these orders targeted social media posts related to political parties and leaders. Several political figures reportedly filed complaints over fake posts and deepfakes created using their names and images. Content blocking orders are issued under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. This provision empowers the government to restrict online content in the interest of national sovereignty, security, public order, relations with foreign states, and for the investigation of offences.
