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Section 69A IT Act Blocking Orders Surge from 470 to 9,800 URLs (2014-2021) Amid Judicial Scrutiny of Safeguards

PolityHIGH
Target:UPSC GS-IIMPSCTeachingSSC GAPrelims HighMains HighStatic GK Link
22 Mar 2026
~2 min
Source: The Hindu
Key Data:470 (2014)9,800 (2021)Section 69A IT Act
Bodies:Supreme Court of IndiaKarnataka High Court
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What This Article Covers

1.Blocking of social media accounts under IT Act Section 69A surged from 470 URLs/posts in 2014 to 9,800 by 2021, with recent cases targeting political critics.

2.The Supreme Court upheld Section 69A in Shreya Singhal (2015) due to its procedural safeguards, but Rule 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules is used to keep orders confidential, undermining judicial review.

3.The Karnataka High Court dismissed Twitter's (now X) challenge to blocking orders (2021-22), emboldening state censorship and highlighting the erosion of proportionality doctrine.

The Big Picture
Prelims · HighMains · High

The editorial critiques the government's use of IT Act 2000's Section 69A and Rule 16 of 2009 Blocking Rules for digital censorship, arguing it dilutes procedural safeguards and judicial review. The number of blocked URLs, posts, and accounts rose dramatically from 470 in 2014 to 9,800 in 2021, with recent trends showing blocking of entire accounts for political criticism. This raises constitutional questions about free speech and the right to be heard.

Exam Lens

Quick Exam Facts From News

URL Blocking (2014)470
URL Blocking (2021)9,800
Key Supreme Court CaseShreya Singhal (2015)
IT Act SectionSection 69A

1-Minute Revision

  • ›URL Blocking (2014): 470
  • ›URL Blocking (2021): 9,800
  • ›Target this Data: Blocking orders increased from 470 (2014) to 9,800 (2021).
  • ›Target this Nodal Body: Committee constituted under IT Rules 2009 (executive body for reviewing blocking orders).
  • ›Target this Legal Point: Section 69A of IT Act 2000 and Rule 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules.

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Practice exam-style questions, track your score, and strengthen your recall.

Q1Static LinkageEasy

The power to block online content under the Information Technology Act, 2000, is primarily vested in which authority?

Q2Statement-basedHard

Consider the following statements regarding digital censorship in India:

1. The Supreme Court of India upheld the constitutionality of Section 69A of the IT Act in the Shreya Singhal case.

2. Rule 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules mandates transparency, requiring blocking orders to be publicly disclosed.

3. The committee constituted under the IT Rules 2009 to review blocking orders is an independent judicial body.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q3Data-centricMedium

According to the article, how many URLs, posts, and accounts were blocked under IT laws in the year 2014?

Q4Application/ImpactMedium

What is the primary constitutional concern raised in the article regarding the use of Rule 16 of the 2009 Blocking Rules?

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