Indian Army Granted Authority to Directly Takedown Social Media Content

The Indian Army has been granted direct authority to manage social media content concerning its operations and public image. The Indian Defense Ministry has appointed a senior officer from the Additional Directorate General of Strategic Communications (ADG SC) as the “Nodal Officer” to oversee this initiative.

The Nodal Officer is now able to provide notice to the relevant social media sites regarding the illicit content associated with the Indian military, as per Section 79 (3)(b) of the Information Technology Act. This differs from the previous protocol, which required the Army to rely on the Ministry of Electronics and IT to address complaints regarding content that was requested to be removed or blocked.

The ADG (Strategic Communication) can now target specific cases and inform relevant media entities about military content themselves with the help of this new directive. Sources indicate that it will be the responsibility of these intermediaries to determine the most effective approach. This modification is intended to expedite the process, as the previous approach of utilizing the Ministry of Electronics and IT to address significant issues resulted in significant congestion.

In a related incident, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting previously ordered the removal of an article from The Caravan that made allegations against the Indian Army. Section 79 of the IT Act gives a broad range of ministries, departments, and law enforcement agencies the authority to issue takedown notices, frequently with fewer restrictions than the rest of the Act.

Legal professionals interpret these developments as a trend towards military organizations pursuing heightened legislative protections in response to perceived threats to their reputations. This method may serve as a cautionary example for Western nations that regard India as a champion of democracy, emphasizing the imposition of restrictions that are intended to maintain the military’s reputation.