Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram may be banned in India

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram may face a ban in India if they do not comply with the new IT rules set by the country's government, Indian media reported Wednesday.

According to the media reports, the deadline to accept the guidelines set by the Indian government are to end today (May 26).  

So far, however,  none of the platforms including WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter have complied with the new regulations. 

The Indian version of Twitter, Koo, is the only social media app that has complied with the new guidelines ahead of the deadline. 

In February 2021, the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MEITy) in India had given three months to  tech companies to comply with the new IT rules.

It is a crucial moment for social media companies because if they do not comply with the new rules, they risk losing their status and protections as intermediaries and criminal action can be taken against them as per the laws of India, a government official said in a statement.