Internet unbound: On the summoning of Meta staff

The Union government has summoned Meta (Facebook, Instagram) staff, reportedly to suppress online posts related to protests, citing a brief removal of a PM's video as a public reason. The article highlights the government's use of Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, to demand content takedowns, which Meta has largely complied with. It warns against India's digital ecosystem drifting towards a tightly controlled environment similar to China or Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of mass mobilizations for democracy and the dangers of unchecked government power over online speech.