A two-minute investigative video on the impact of Google’s proposed Visakhapatnam data centre on Dalit communities was blocked in India after the story went viral crossing 2.6 million views on Instagram.
The Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC), an international network of journalists, has raised concerns after Meta reportedly restricted access in India to a viral Instagram video related to the proposed Google data centre project in Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam. According to ERC, the platform did not provide a detailed explanation for the action.
The two-minute video, published on May 19, was based on an investigation by journalists Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha under ERC’s global “Dirty Data” project, which examines the environmental and social impact of expanding data centre infrastructure. The report focused on concerns raised by local communities and alleged displacement risks faced by Dalit residents in the area.
ERC stated that the video gained significant attention online and crossed 2.6 million views before becoming unavailable in India on May 22. According to the organization, Meta’s notification cited a legal notice from “The Government of India/Law Enforcement under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.”
Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act allows authorities to notify online platforms to remove or disable content linked to alleged unlawful activity. However, ERC said it did not receive any detailed reasoning regarding the specific complaint or legal grounds behind the restriction.
In its statement, ERC argued that greater transparency is needed when public-interest journalism is restricted online. The organization has requested Meta to restore access to the video in India and said it is currently seeking legal advice on the matter.
The incident comes amid increasing debates over content moderation and government-linked takedown requests on digital platforms in India. Meta has previously stated that it complies with local legal requirements, while transparency around such actions continues to be a subject of discussion among journalists and digital rights groups.
