August 28, 2024: The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the new social media policy, aimed at regulating content across platforms including Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. The policy introduces guidelines for addressing objectionable social media content and mandates legal action.

Under the new policy, posting anti national content is a serious offence that carries severe consequences, with penalties ranging from three years of imprisonment to a life term.

Previously, such actions were addressed under Sections 66E and 66F of the Information Technology (IT) Act, which deal with privacy violations and cyber terrorism, respectively.

Additonally, disseminating obscene or defamatory material online can result in criminal defamation charges, further underscoring the legal ramifications of misusing digital platforms, according to the official statement.