India restricts two cartoonists' social media access

Indian cartoonist Satish Acharya found his Instagram account inaccessible to domestic users on Tuesday. This is the second time in three weeks that his profile was blocked in India. The platform cited no specific reason for the restriction. Users in the country could not find his profile through search or via direct web links. Those who tried to access it saw a message stating the account was unavailable under India's Information Technology Rules.

Acharaya's account was first restricted from 28 September to 6 October. During that period, he wrote to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, but received no reply. He stated he was preparing to take the matter to court when access was restored in early October. The block returned earlier this week and lasted for three days.

The Information Technology Rules allow authorities and courts to order social media platforms to remove or restrict content. The government says these measures help tackle unlawful material. Artists and free-speech advocates argue the rules can stifle political satire. Acharya told the BBC that Meta has restricted the reach of his cartoons for years. He said, "But when my entire profile was restricted in India, I was a little sad."

Just weeks before Acharya's second block, another cartoonist, Manjul, faced restrictions. Instagram limited a post by Manjul that criticized India's election commission over its revision of voter rolls. Unlike Acharya, Manjul's profile remained accessible to users. In a statement, Meta told the BBC that it may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with India's IT Rules. The company did not explain the specific reasons for restricting Acharya's account or Manjul's post.

Government agencies sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders to platforms including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube between March and July. These orders were sent through the federal government's Sahyog portal. The figures were obtained through a right-to-information request by the Indian Express. The data does not show how many posts were ultimately removed. Technology policy expert Prateek Waghre noted that Meta appears more willing to comply with these orders than X, which often pushes back. Meta declined to comment on his assessment.

The restrictions arrive as social media plays a larger role in political dissent. Memes and online humor helped fuel protests over education and jobs in July. Those protests led to the resignation of India's education minister. Online debate has also intensified over a voter roll revision that removed 130 million names. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, has urged ministers to strengthen their online presence to connect with younger audiences. Authorities have also asked Meta to ensure its systems do not steer users toward a single set of narratives and to strengthen checks on content that could cause public disorder.

Political satire has a long history in India, dating back to the 1970s when the press was tightly controlled during the Emergency. Cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was arrested on sedition charges in 2012 for cartoons allegedly mocking the constitution, though the charges were later dropped. Today, India ranks 157th in Reporters Without Borders' World Press Freedom Index. Comedian Kunal Kamra has faced threats and legal action for his jokes about the prime minister. Independent cartoonists like Acharya and Manjul rely on social media to reach audiences without traditional newspaper affiliations.

Sandeep Adhwaryu, a cartoonist at a leading Indian newspaper, described the profession as the default opposition. He said the nature of the craft is to oppose those in power. Acharya noted that before 2014, many of his cartoons targeted the Congress-led government and were shared by BJP leaders. He said he never faced official restrictions under previous governments, though occasional trolling was common. Now, with the BJP in power, much of his satire targets Modi's government.

Rachita Taneja, the creator of the Instagram comic Sanitary Panels, said her career would not have existed without the internet. She described social media as a double-edged sword, noting it is a for-profit endeavour that answers to advertisers. Taneja said Meta's compliance with government requests reflects commercial priorities. When Acharya's account was first restricted, Taneja drew a stick-figure cartoon in solidarity. She said seeing people create communities and fight for rights keeps her going. Adhwaryu compared satire to a shape-shifting virus that keeps mutating in response to its environment.