The following is an analysis of India’s ongoing practices of information politics and an interrogation of how they may have fared when deployed during a geopolitical conflict from a domestic lens. It is not a commentary on its military strategy, and does not analyse the actions of external actors. India’s Information Politics in a Geopolitical Conflict - The Wire
A large part of information suppression on the internet is state-driven, with union, state governments and local administrations all playing a part.
The World Economic Forum has described internet restrictions/shutdowns as a form of collective punishment. Website/app blocking and account restrictions are also frequently used to suppress information. As per responses in India’s Parliament, between 2018 and 2024, over 47,000 URLs were blocked under the relevant sections of the IT ACT. It is likely that most of these restrictions were not for political purposes, however, the absence of transparency and disclosures by the executive branch, coupled with confidentiality clauses that prevent internet intermediaries from disclosing the reasons for blocking makes this mechanism ripe for exploitation as a means to curb speech and dissent.
Narrative projection is driven more by diffuse actors and surrogate operators, some of whom may align themselves with political forces for ideological or monetary reasons, even as political actors and parties invest heavily and claim dominance and expertise.
18/06/2025