Meta blocks Indian cartoonist's profile again as content orders surge

Satish Acharya’s Instagram account was blocked in India for three days this week, the second time in three weeks that the 55-year-old cartoonist has lost access to his own profile in his home country.

The restriction began on Tuesday, leaving users in India unable to find his profile through search or access it via web link. A message on the page stated the account was unavailable under India’s Information Technology Rules. Acharya says Meta gave no specific explanation for the block, a pattern he describes as consistent with prior restrictions on his work.

This latest incident follows a similar restriction on another cartoonist, Manjul, whose post criticizing India’s election commission was restricted just weeks earlier. Manjul’s profile remained accessible, but the post was hidden from Indian users. Both artists say they receive little to no guidance from the platform on why their content is targeted.

The frequency of these actions aligns with a sharp rise in formal government requests to platforms. According to the Indian Express, government agencies sent nearly 195,000 blocking and content-restriction orders to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube between March and July. These figures, obtained through a right-to-information request, do not specify how many posts were ultimately removed. Technology policy expert Prateek Waghre notes that Meta appears more willing to comply with such orders than other platforms like X.

Meta told the BBC that it may temporarily restrict accounts to comply with India’s IT Rules but did not detail the reasons for restricting Acharya’s account or Manjul’s post. The company has also reportedly been asked by authorities to ensure its recommendation systems do not steer users toward a limited set of narratives and to strengthen checks on content that could cause public disorder.

For independent cartoonists, social media is both a tool for reach and a point of vulnerability. Rachita Taneja, creator of the Instagram comic Sanitary Panels, describes the platform as a double-edged sword that answers to advertisers. Acharya, who previously targeted the Congress-led government before 2014, now directs much of his satire at the current BJP government. He notes that while he faced occasional trolling in the past, he has never faced official restrictions on his cartoons under previous administrations.

The restrictions occur against a backdrop of increased government attention to online content and a long history of satire in Indian journalism. While the government says the rules help tackle unlawful material, free-speech advocates warn they can stifle political commentary. Acharya is preparing to go to court if the block remains, though his account was accessible again in early October before the latest restriction.