Tamil Nadu Cyber Crime Wing has issued a takedown notice to X Corp, directing the suspension or blocking of 18 URLs and posts within three hours, including posts shared by YouTuber Maridhas. The notice, issued on May 8, invoked provisions of the Information Technology Act and the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and has triggered criticism from political voices, social media users and legal observers over free speech concerns.
Takedown Notice Cites Public Order Concerns
According to the notice, the action followed a request from the Superintendent of Police, Social Media Cell, regarding posts allegedly containing provocative and politically sensitive remarks. The communication stated that the content could incite public unrest, disturb public tranquillity and affect law and order.
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The notice cited violations under Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to unlawful assembly. It also invoked Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, alleging that the reported URLs were being used to commit unlawful acts linked to decency, morality and defamation.
The authorised officer directed X to immediately remove or disable access to the identified posts and take proactive measures to prevent further dissemination of the content. The notice warned that failure to act could make the intermediary liable for prosecution.
Critics Raise Free Speech Objections
Most of the flagged posts allegedly contained content critical of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. The move drew criticism from netizens, who alleged that the police action amounted to curbing freedom of speech.
Narayanan Thirupathy, chief spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu, called the notice a blatant attack on free speech and political dissent. He said sharp criticism of a political party or its leader should not be treated as provocative enough to warrant police intervention or a three-hour takedown ultimatum.
Social media activist Dinesh alleged that the TVK had filed a complaint against him without valid reasons. He said citizens have the right to speak against the Prime Minister and Chief Minister as long as it is done respectfully.
Legal Process and Platform Compliance Under Scrutiny
K. Rajasekar, digital editor of Spark Pluz, said that while defamatory or violence-inciting content had been removed in the past, the present situation raised serious concerns. He alleged that posts and news reports critical of the new government were being mass-reported and taken down, with legal action reportedly initiated against those posting such content.
Advocate S. Karthikeyan said X Corp generally does not comply with such takedown requests when it considers the content political dissent. He also raised concern over petitions seeking takedown orders before magistrate courts where only X Corp is made a respondent and the content creator is not heard.
Senior Cyber Crime Wing officials, however, maintained that takedown notices are issued as a routine procedure whenever provocative content appears on social media. An official said the notice to X was sent after a request from the Superintendent of Police, Social Media Cell, and after following due guidelines.
