Central government’s big alert, issued strict warning regarding obscene and lewd content on social media

New Delhi: The central government has given a clear message to social media platforms and other online intermediaries that obscene, lewd and illegal content will not be tolerated. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in an advisory issued on December 29, 2025, clarified that platforms may have to face serious consequences under the law if they do not follow the rules.

The government has asked companies to immediately review the illegal content present on their platforms and remove it without any delay. Along with this, legal action can also be taken against negligent platforms.

Reminded of IT Act and IT Rules

In the advisory, the government cited the IT Act and IT Rules 2021 and said that it is the responsibility of social media platforms to ensure that their platforms are not used to disseminate any obscene, pornographic, child-harmful or illegal material. This includes all activities of uploading, sharing and storing content.

Accountability of platforms under section 79

The government reiterated that under Section 79 of the IT Act, it is mandatory for platforms to follow ‘due diligence’. In cases of content uploaded by third parties, legal protection will be available only if the platform fully follows the rules. This protection may be lost if the rules are ignored.

It is necessary to remove content on time

It was also said in the advisory that if information is received from any court or authorized agency of the government that any content has been found illegal, then it will be mandatory to remove it within the stipulated time or block access to it. Any delay will be considered a serious violation.

Why was the new warning issued?

The government took this step because there were continuous complaints from the general public, stakeholders and courts that the content on many platforms was violating laws related to decency and obscenity. This issue has also been discussed in Parliament and some cases have been sent to law enforcement agencies for investigation. In view of this growing concern, the Center has issued this new and strict advisory.