Under attack, May our rights endure

A packed month of court hearings and policy advocacy from the Internet Freedom Foundation — catch up in 3 minutes!

On 30 April, the Supreme Court in Pragya Prasun & Amar Jain laid down 20 firm directives to stop e-KYC from locking out people with disabilities and other marginalized Indians. But May swung the other way: the I&B Ministry on 8 May ordered OTT platforms to delete all “Pakistan-origin” content, while the draft Income-Tax Bill 2025 would let officials demand your passwords and pierce encryption. As state “fact-check” units policed post-Pahalgam speech and Maktoob Media fought a secret X takedown, IFF stayed in court and on the streets so your rights don’t vanish behind closed doors. Here is a quick rundown of our work for the month of May, 2025.

• Operation Sindoor and a blanket OTT Ban (8 May): I&B Ministry told every streaming service to delete shows and content, “originating in Pakistan.” We raised concern that the order was overbroad and a direct hit on artistic freedom.

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• Income-Tax Bill 2025: The draft law will let tax officers demand your passwords, jeopardising encryption. IFF and Internet Society have asked the Lok Sabha panel to pause and consult experts. Details

• A RTI investigation into State Fact-Check Units (Part 1): Our probe shows many FCUs work with police, use vague laws, and dodge RTI. Clear rules and oversight are urgent; Parts 2-3 coming soon. Read more

• No laughing matter: The Supreme Court case over Ranveer Allahbadia’s OTT jokes may revive the shelved Broadcasting Bill. We’re pushing #KillTheBill to protect creators’ rights. Read more

• “National Security” Censorship: Govt blocked journalist Sanjay Sharma’s 4PM News and filed cases against artists Neha Singh Rathore and Ms Medusa. We condemn terror but reject censorship as a cure. Details.

  

  • Maktoob Media: Takedown & Return (9–17 May): X withheld Maktoob and 16 other indie outlets who were represented by IFF without warning acting on orders purportedly by the Government. IFF prepped a Supreme Court plea; Maktoob’s handle re-appeared on 17 May, after notices were drafted and sent by us. The other 16 news outlets were also similarly restored. Read about IFF's support. Find Maktoob on X

    

    Maktoob returns to X

  • Tanul Thakur v. Union of India: Satirist Tanul Thakur is contesting the block of his parody site. Delhi High Court’s 27 May hearing was bumped to 2 Sep; IFF remains on the brief and will report every move. Read here

  • FMP v. Union of India (Device Seizures): Foundation for Media Professionals wants firm rules against police grabbing journalists’ phones and laptops. SC heard the matter on 9 May, but adjourned after govt counsel no-show; Centre must now file promised safeguards. More on IFF’s legal efforts

  • Sushant Singh’s Challenge to Secret Blocks: Journalist Sushant Singh’s filed a transfer petition on which notice was issued by the SC to strike Rules 8 & 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules that allow hidden censorship. The Court took the case on 2 May. Read more on what it means here.

When KYC becomes a barrier: SC’s stand for digital inclusion

On 30 April 2025 the Supreme Court, in Pragya Prasun and Amar Jain, issued 20 hard directives to make e-KYC and other digital services usable for everyone, especially persons with disabilities. It warned that device-dependent KYC schemes can lock out people without smartphones, reliable biometrics, or digital skills violating Article 14’s promise of equal access. Biometric log-ins fail often: fingerprints change with age or manual labour, and failed scans have already cost thousands of Tamil Nadu ration-card holders their food benefits. Civil-society studies show the same exclusion across India, aggravated by Aadhaar-link mandates and a stark digital divide—most poor, rural households still lack a computer, internet, or basic digital literacy. The Court’s ruling is a start; meaningful implementation will decide whether technology empowers or sidelines society’s most vulnerable. Read more → here

IFF’s Founder Director, Apar Gupta represented India as an international expert on digital rights during a recent OHCHR delegation to Brazil. He participated in high-level discussions on the regulation of digital technologies, including a panel with Luís Roberto Barroso, President of Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court. Apar Gupta on X

Additionally, during May 9-11, due to a rising number of account suspensions on social media, we tweeted out offers of help and saw a wave of solidarity. Numerous individuals and organisations reached out, some seeking help, others offering support. We responded to each one, providing legal guidance, sharing resources, and connecting people to the assistance they needed. It was a reminder that digital rights work isn’t just legal or technical, it's deeply human, and rooted in community.

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💡Your support keeps IFF alive!

IFF is literally one of the last civil liberties (specifically, digital rights) organisations left standing in India. However, this is not a given and there is a real challenge to our financial viability. The threat to IFF’s existence is real and we urge you to chip in. Let’s look at the numbers? May, despite us doing out best, was tough for us. You may even notice we scaled back on expenses from April when they had touched Rs. 9,84,796.

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