Note to self: Don't correct the minister on X anymore?

The Indian government has found a new problem on the internet… corrections on X.

The Hindustan Times reports that under the proposed tweaks to the IT Rules, the state now wants a say in how Community Notes on X function — those small, often devastatingly effective footnotes where users politely (and sometimes not so politely) point out that something is, well, not quite true. So, if a note relates to “news and current affairs”, it may now invite the government’s attention.

Asked whether a note correcting a minister’s claim or adding context to a policy issue would fall into this category, a government official told HT: “Depends on facts in each case. But it potentially could.” 

Of course, we know what sort of facts are likely to attract the Modi government’s attention and what it says about their view of the public at large. Even for a website like X, which is rife with misinformation and AI-generated fake views, community notes have emerged as a counterforce — a reminder that collective intelligence on the internet can still arrive at something resembling the truth. That if enough people look at a claim, someone will bring receipts. Someone will add context. Someone will say: this MoU you’re celebrating doesn’t quite make sense.

But this is too radical a proposition for the Modi government. Citizens are perfectly capable of consuming information — but somewhat less capable of questioning it. They may read, react, amplify — but the act of collectively correcting something, especially when it travels downward from positions of power, is a step too far? Blasphemy!

The new IT draft rules will impact you more than you think. Make your voice heard: submit your objections to itrules.consultation@meity.gov.in before April 29. Read our explainer on why industry insiders warn of ‘digital authoritarianism’ and how these changes would expand state blocking powers to encompass every user, platform, and post.

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