Act on obscene, unlawful content or face consequences: Govt's warning to online platforms
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has warned online platforms, mainly social media firms, of legal consequences if they fail to act on obscene, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic and other forms of unlawful content.
In an advisory dated December 29, 2025, the Ministry of Electronics and IT (Meity) asked social media firms to immediately review their compliance framework and act against obscene and unlawful content on their platform, failing which they may face prosecution under the law of the land.
"Intermediaries, including social media intermediaries, are reminded that they are statutorily obligated under Section 79 of the IT Act... to observe, due diligence as a condition for availing exemption from liability in respect of third-party information uploaded, published, hosted, shared or transmitted on or through their platforms," the advisory said.
The advisory follows the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) observing that social media platforms have not been strictly acting on obscene, vulgar, inappropriate, and unlawful content.
"It is reiterated that non-compliance with the provisions of the IT Act and/or the IT Rules, 2021 may result in consequences, including prosecution under the IT Act, BNS, and other applicable criminal laws, against the intermediaries, platforms and their users," the advisory said.
The advisory reminded social media firms of provisions of IT Act and IT Rules 2021 that mandate online platforms to make reasonable efforts to ensure that users of their computer resources do not host, display, upload, modify, publish, transmit, store, update or share any information that is obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, harmful to children, or otherwise unlawful.
Meity said it has come to its notice that there is a need for greater consistency and rigour in the observance of due diligence obligations by intermediaries, particularly in relation to the identification, reporting and expeditious removal of content that is obscene, indecent, vulgar, pornographic, paedophilic, harmful to child or otherwise unlawful, as prescribed under the IT Act and Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The IT ministry has asked intermediaries to act expeditiously to remove or disable access to unlawful content upon receipt of actual knowledge, through court orders or reasoned intimation from the appropriate government or its authorised agency, and to do so strictly within the timelines prescribed under the IT Rules of 2021.
"The intermediaries shall not permit the hosting, displaying, uploading, publication, transmission, storage, sharing of any content that is obscene, pornographic, vulgar, indecent, sexually explicit, paedophilic, or otherwise prohibited under any law for the time being in force in any manner whatsoever," the advisory said.
The IT Rules 2021 mandate that intermediaries shall remove or disable access to any content that is prima facie in the nature of material depicting an individual in any sexual act or conduct, or any impersonation thereof, within 24 hours of receipt of a complaint from the affected individual or any person on such individual's behalf.
The advisory has asked online platforms to undertake an immediate review of their internal compliance frameworks, content moderation practices and user enforcement mechanisms, and to ensure strict and continuous adherence to the provisions of the IT Act and the IT Rules, 2021.
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First-ever life-size Vivekananda statue in US unveiled in Seattle
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New York (PTI): The first-ever life-size statue of Swami Vivekananda in the US was unveiled in Seattle, honouring the renowned Indian philosopher and spiritual leader.
The life-size bronze statue, installed at the busy Westlake Square in downtown Seattle, is the first such installation hosted by a city government anywhere in the US, officials said.
Sculpted by Indian artist Naresh Kumar Kumawat, it was jointly unveiled on Saturday by Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Consul General of India in Seattle Prakash Gupta.
"From Chicago 1893 to Seattle 2026! Seattle's skyline has a new Indian icon: Swami Vivekananda! City of Seattle becomes the first city government to host the Swami Vivekananda Monument in the heart of downtown Seattle," the Consulate General of India in Seattle said in a social media post.
Addressing the event, Wilson said the monument reflects Seattle's inclusive spirit and strengthens cultural ties between India and the diverse metropolitan tech hub in the US Pacific Northwest.
The statue has been gifted by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) to the City of Seattle in recognition of its "in recognition of the city’s rich multicultural character and spirit of inclusivity", the Indian mission in Seattle said in a statement.
The unveiling of the statue was held on the occasion of the celebration of ICCR Day and is part of India's broader cultural diplomacy initiatives aimed at strengthening people-to-people ties between India and the US Pacific Northwest, the Consulate said.
Located at the bustling Westlake Square, which sees over 400,000 visitors daily, the monument stands near prominent landmarks including the Amazon headquarters ‘Spheres’, the Seattle Convention Centre and the Seattle Centre Monorail.
The unveiling ceremony was attended by several local leaders, including mayors from cities in the Greater Seattle area, community representatives and members of the Indian-American diaspora.
Swami Vivekananda had delivered his historic address at the World’s Parliament of Religions in Chicago in 1893, introducing Hindu philosophy to a global audience.
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