FROM VIRALITY TO VIGILANCE: INDIA'S LEGAL FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIAL MEDIA

“Information is the oxygen of the modern age.” - Ronald Reagan In today’s rapidly evolving digital era, information travels faster than before. In an age where information moves with an unprecedented speed, a single post or tweet can shape reputations and influence public discourse. India is home to more than 500 million social media users, making it one of the largest digital communities in the world. Yet, every viral post also raises difficult legal questions concerning privacy, misinformation and freedom of speech. As social media’s influence has expanded it has become the utmost priority to establish a robust legal framework capable of balancing the emerging technologies. This evolving digital era calls for a legal framework that not only addresses emerging online harms but also safeguards the democratic values that social media seeks to amplify. Meanwhile, this information on social platforms may be exploited in a wrong way. The emergence of false news, hate messages, AI generated deepfakes, cyberbullying, online impersonation and scams proves that unrestricted transmission brings real threats. With the massive volume of information being transmitted in just a few moments, the question turns from whether social media should be controlled to how to control it without affecting democratic freedoms.