Backdoor censorship

• Social media platform X has criticized the Union government’s SAHYOG portal, which could potentially misuse it to curb internet content.
• SAHYOG is a platform facilitating coordination among law enforcement agencies, social media platforms, and telecom service providers for quicker takedowns of unlawful content.
• The creation of SAHYOG was disclosed by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in the Delhi High Court in Shabana vs Govt Of NCT Of Delhi And Ors.
• The government’s use of Section 79(3)(b) to create a content takedown portal bypasses the limited safeguards under Section 69A of the IT Act.
• SAHYOG could be used as a tool for unchecked censorship, allowing multiple government agencies to have blocking powers.
• The implementation of the portal could be ultra vires and violate the Supreme Court’s judgment in Shreya Singhal vs Union of India.
• The MHA must provide full details of the features of the SAHYOG portal for public perusal to ensure it doesn’t bypass legal frameworks for online content regulation.