India wants to make influencers register with the government

In the six months before the Indian elections earlier this year, YouTuber Akash Banerjee created content highlighting the shortcomings of the incumbent government.

The political satirist made videos about topics such as the government’s divisive campaign pitch and its crackdown on the opposition parties . “Independent creators put their neck on the line to reach voters,” he told Rest of World , describing his work.

But for the past week, Banerjee has been stressed about the prospect of having to shut down his YouTube channel, The Deshbhakt, which has over 4.8 million subscribers.

That’s because the Indian government has plans to classify social media creators as “digital news broadcasters,” which would make it mandatory for them to register with the government, set up a content evaluation committee that checks all content before it is published, and appoint complaint handlers — all at their own expense. Any failures in compliance could lead to criminal charges, including jail term.

On July 26, the Hindustan Times reported that the government plans to tweak the proposed Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, which aims to combine all regulations for broadcasters under one law. As per a new version of the bill, which has been reviewed by Rest of World , the government defines “digital news broadcaster” as “any person who broadcasts news and current affairs programs through an online paper, news portal, website, social media intermediary, or other similar medium as part of a systematic business, professional or commercial activity.”

Shortly after this story was published, on August 12, the Hindustan Times reported that Indian government officials had asked all stakeholders to return the physical copies of the latest version of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2024. They were informed that their comments were no longer required. There was no clarity on what the government plans to do next with the proposed legislation.

Creators and digital rights activists believe the potential legislation will tighten the government’s grip over online content and threaten the last bastion of press freedom for independent journalists in the country. Over 785 Indian creators have sent a letter to the government seeking more transparency in the process of drafting the bill. Creators have also stormed social media with hashtags like #KillTheBill , and made videos to educate their followers about the proposal.

“The direction and the intention of the bill seem to essentially establish greater degrees of control on speech on the internet and are in line with the trend under this government,” Prateek Waghre, executive director at digital rights organization Internet Freedom Foundation, told Rest of World . “The vision seems so wide that it encompasses almost everyone on the internet.”

Waghare said the suggested policy is vague, which would leave it “open to the executive force.”

India’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting did not respond to Rest of World ’s request for comment.

This is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “return gift for the fabulous work done by digital creators in the last few years,” Banerjee told Rest of World , sarcastically. “After the 2024 election result, this was inevitable. This bill does not aim to moderate content. It is not about the content. Let us not be fooled, this is about killing the content creators.”

Social media creators are believed to have had a massive impact on India’s 2024 election, in which Modi won a third consecutive term but the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) failed to get an outright majority. Media reports and political analysts attributed Modi’s slide in popularity to influencers who ran months-long campaigns highlighting the incumbent government’s shortcomings. India’s media consumption landscape has shifted dramatically in recent years. Nearly 71% of Indians access news through online mediums, according to Reuters Institute’s Digital News Report 2024 . Several television journalists have lately moved to digital platforms following the Modi government’s clampdown on mainstream media.

India is not alone in trying to regulate content on social media platforms in a way that threatens free speech. The European Union’s Digital Services Act, brought in to tackle the spread of illegal content online and ensure that the internet did not become the “wild West,” has been criticized for stifling free expression.

The proposed legislation in India will affect international influencers as well as local creators. Global popstar Taylor Swift “will need to get her songs evaluated by a content evaluation committee in India” prior to release, Nikhil Pahwa, a digital rights activist, wrote on X, explaining the scope of the proposed law.

Soon after the report about the planned changes came out, a group of prominent Indian creators created a campaign against it, according to Meghnad S, an independent journalist and YouTuber who participated in the protests.

“We collaborated among creators and everybody got into action because they understand how crazy this is,” he told Rest of World . “It was a poetic justice that the social media influencers swung the votes away from them … This has come full circle.”

More than 785 creators, including some of the most popular Indian YouTubers like Dhruv Rathee, Kunal Kamra, and Ravish Kumar, have sent a letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting calling for transparency in the process of framing the bill.

The creators are also reaching out to opposition party lawmakers to voice their concerns in the Parliament.

71% The percentage of Indians who access news through online mediums.

Reuters Institute

In a post on X , Pawan Khera, media head of the Indian National Congress, India’s largest opposition party, wrote that the proposed law would “pave the way for excessive surveillance in the online world.” He added that the government’s demands could force smaller creators to shut down due to a lack of resources to comply.

Dr. Medusa, who makes videos with satirical takes on current political issues, has amassed over 250,000 followers across platforms. She believes the proposed changes would disproportionately impact smaller creators like her.

“The absolute, sheer stupidity of the bill is that it keeps us, individual content creators, at par with the broadcasters,” Dr. Medusa, who requested to be identified by her social media name as she fears losing her government job, told Rest of World. “We are already extremely careful about what we put out. I fact-check my stuff almost like 500 times.”

Unlike established producers or video-streaming platforms, Dr. Medusa said she creates most of her content using just a smartphone. If the government asks her to appoint a “grievance redressal officer,” it has to be her. “The creative game in content is going to be hampered because they are trying to stifle creativity under these rules and regulations,” she said.

Meghnad said he may launch another show in response to the bill: “The Grievance Redressal Show,” to address the complaints. “I mean, fuck you, I will just make content out of it perhaps,” he said. ▰

Yashraj Sharma is a reporter based in India.