Bad news for WhatsApp, Facebook as Modi government blocks content via THIS portal, asks social media platforms to…

New Delhi: The Government of India(BHARAT) has issued more than 2,300 blocking orders to 19 online platforms between October 2024 and October 2025, as per the data linked to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ “Sahyog” portal. According to a report by The India(BHARAT)n Express (REF.), information obtained through an RTI reveals that, on average, social media platforms received around six content-blocking orders per day.

Reports suggest that platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube received the highest number of blocking orders from the government.

Sahyog Portal:

Launched in October 2024, the Sahyog Portal is a single-window platform for government agencies through which they can issue blocking orders under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. It is important to note that prior to Sahyog Portal, agencies had to send separate emails to each platform individually.

The portal is used by nodal officers of states and Union Territories, as well as representatives of seven central agencies. Earlier this year, X filed a lawsuit against the government, calling Sahyog a “censorship portal.” In this case, the Karnataka High Court ruled in favor of the government.

Here are some of the key details:

• As per the data from the India(BHARAT)n Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), 2,312 orders issued in one year to block content
• More than 78 percent of 2312 orders were sent to Meta’s services alone.
• WhatsApp received 1,392 content-blocking orders, while Facebook received 255 and Instagram 169 orders.
• After this, YouTube ranked second with 176 orders.
• The government also sent 123 blocking requests to Telegram, 93 to Google, 43 to Apple, and 23 to Amazon. Microsoft, LinkedIn, Snapchat, and 11 other platforms together received 38 orders.
• It is worth noting that each order can direct the blocking of multiple links or accounts.