India sees spike in social media censorship amid Iran war

Over the past two weeks, internet watchdogs in India have reported dozens of removals of posts on social media that were critical of the government's failure to condemn the US-Israeli strikes on Iran. The timing is significant, with a spike in social media account restrictions beginning around March 11, and the Internet Freedom Foundation documenting at least 42 instances by March 19.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Israel in late February, just days before Israel launched its strikes on Iran, and his typically cautions stance on the conflict placed India's foreign policy under unusual domestic scrutiny.

This week, Modi acknowledged in a speech to parliament that the situation is "worrisome," but that India's "inherent" economic strength would allow the country to weather the "unprecedented challenges" posed by the conflict.

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