New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has appointed the Additional Directorate General (ADG) of Strategic Communication in the Indian Army as the “nodal officer” responsible for issuing notices, including takedown requests, to social media intermediaries regarding illegal content related to the Indian Army. This authority is granted under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act.
Previously, the Indian Army relied on the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to address unlawful content. An Army official, speaking anonymously, explained that the new notification allows the ADG to directly flag cases and issue notices to intermediaries when illegal content is identified. It will then be up to the intermediaries to decide how to respond.
The official emphasized the need for a quicker response, stating that dealing with MeitY can take much longer. “For instance, if a Pakistan-based account is spreading misinformation, we should be able to notify the intermediaries directly,” they noted.
This direct line of communication enhances the Army’s ability to address national security issues and protect its reputation. Under Section 79 of the IT Act, intermediaries can claim safe harbor protections from liability for third-party content, but these protections do not apply if the intermediary fails to act upon being informed by the government or its agency.
While it remains unclear how many takedown notices have been issued to social media companies regarding content related to the Indian Army, sources indicate that no new notices have been sent since the October 24 announcement.
