India's IT Rules 2021 amendments represent a significant expansion of state control over digital communications. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has introduced draft amendments that reduce content takedown timelines to as little as three hours, granting regulators sweeping powers over online platforms. These rules grant the state broad authority over digital communication, including surveillance and content blocking, with minimal independent oversight. The regulatory framework reflects continuity with colonial-era communication control laws like the Telegraph Act of 1885 and Post Office Act of 1898. The shift from telegraph networks to digital platforms maintains the same architecture of state control and surveillance.
