Indian cartoonists face unexplained Meta restrictions as political satire grows online
Indian cartoonists say Meta has restricted their work in India with little explanation, raising concerns that legal orders are limiting political satire. The cases come as memes and humour become a more visible form of political dissent, making access to social media important for public debate.
Satish Acharya’s Instagram profile was unavailable in India from 28 September to 6 October, then blocked again for three days in October; Manjul had a post criticising the election commission’s voter-roll revision restricted. Meta said it may temporarily limit accounts to comply with India’s IT Rules but gave no specific reasons. A reported 195,000 blocking and restriction orders were sent to platforms from March to July, though the figures do not show how much content was ultimately removed.
In short
- Two cartoonists’ Instagram content was restricted in India.
- Meta cited compliance with India’s IT Rules.
- Nearly 195,000 orders went to platforms from March to July.
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Originally published by BBC World as “India’s cartoonists built an audience online – now their posts are being restricted”.