India’s social media content removal order is a nail in the coffin of the internet as we know it

Description

The Delhi High Court’s decision to remove online content underlines a worrying trend for internet freedom

Subject

In recent weeks, India’s High Court of Delhi put another nail in the coffin of the internet as we currently know it. The court granted an order requiring Facebook, Twitter and Google to remove certain content globally, based on that content being defamatory under local law in India.

This decision underlines a worrying trend of a “race to the bottom” for internet freedom, where the scope of jurisdiction claimed by the courts is global.

If widely adopted, this may result in a situation where the only content that remains online is that which complies with all the laws of every country in the world.