- Read Human Rights Forum’s blog here.
“On May 31, 2026, Instagram restricted two posts by HRF in India,” read Human Rights Forum’s blog post condemning the online censorship.
Demands restoration & explanation: They demanded that Meta “immediately restore the removed content and publish a clear, itemised explanation for each restriction, including the specific legal basis invoked and the policy provisions relied upon.” Meta restricted these two videos related to Google’s AI data center in Andhra Pradesh just a week after restricting Environmental Reporting Collective’s documentary-like reel. More about this below.
The geo-restricted posts of HRF are:
- Reel on asking accountablity: “an HRF post publicising an online petition seeking transparency and accountability regarding the proposed data center projects.”
- Reel is accessible through a VPN: [ URL | Archived at MediaNama ]
- Quick Note on Meta’s Trick: Meta is not displaying the notice to indicate that the reel is restricted in India (like the screenshot above). If you are not on VPN, Instagram is quietly redirecting to some random algorithm-recommended reel instead of displaying a notice. If you turn on VPN and click on the same link, the original reel can be accessible.
- Informative post on data center: “An information post documenting, among other things, ongoing work at the proposed Vizag Hyperscale Data Center site at Adavivaram, located in close proximity to the Mudasarlova reservoir.”
HRF said that Instagram restricted the content under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
“However, X has not restricted the content yet. Consistent with its ‘transparency policy’, it informed HRF of the request,” read their blog post.
Who sent the notice to X? Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur urban police sent a notice to X seeking the removal of posts. On May 30, HRF received the communication email from X.
X Accounts restricted for reposting: Speaking to MediaNama over a phone call, Viswanathan, Secretary of the Greater Visakhapatnam Citizens Forum (GVCF), said that at least three people’s X posts have been removed or restricted just because of reposting HRF’s press release. Viswanathan further said that the individuals don’t want to engage with the media and escalate the matter further, as they are worried about what the state or state police can do. You can read the text of HRP’s press release here.
Recent censorship around the Andhra Pradesh data center: On May 25, MediaNama reported that Meta restricted the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC)’s documentary-style reel related to the same Andhra data centre in Vizag. The post is still “not available in India.” You can watch the reel using a VPN or watch the archived version of the video from Medianama’s backend.
Explore more here: [ URL of Reel | Video archived at MediaNama | MediaNama’s coverage ]
What is Google’s data center deal in Andhra: Google aims to build a 1-GW hyperscale Google AI Data Centre on 601.4 acres of land in three locations. Some key details:
- What Google plans to do with this data center in Andhra: The AI infrastructure is intended to support businesses, developers, and researchers and to establish a subsea gateway that complements existing landings in Mumbai and Chennai.
- Investment: $15 billion USD over five years (2026-2030), as per its press release.
- Partners: AdaniConneX Data Center and Airtel.
- Employment claims: Over the next five years, the deal is supposed to create 5,000–6,000 direct jobs and 20,000–30,000 total jobs in AP.
Excerpts from HRF’s statement against state censorship on Meta:
- “These actions by major technology platforms represent a deeply concerning infringement on the public’s right to receive information, engage in debate and participate in collective deliberations that may profoundly affect the region’s future.
- HRF rejects any suggestion that its petition or related posts contain unlawful content.
- Resorting to content restrictions against criticism and public-interest advocacy undermines democratic debate, creates a chilling effect on freedom of expression, and obstructs public scrutiny at a time when transparency is most needed.”
The Human Rights Forum (HRF) has said that its concerns relate to forests, hills, water sources, wildlife habitats, and development in and around Visakhapatnam, and that seeking transparency on such matters is a legitimate democratic exercise that cannot be characterised as unlawful. It added that if authorities believe any published information is inaccurate, the appropriate response is to place the relevant facts before the public.
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