S Krishnan, Secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), clarified that the proposed amendments to the Information Technology (IT) rules are not connected to the recent rise in content takedowns. He explained that these changes are merely clarificatory and do not grant the government additional powers. The increase in takedowns over the last few months is largely due to a surge in synthetically-generated content, particularly deepfakes, which has prompted further action. Krishnan noted that the proposed amendments are in response to requests from law enforcement agencies for content preservation and suggestions from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting regarding user-generated news content. Intermediaries have expressed concerns about being held responsible for user-generated content, arguing for a clearer distinction between the responsibilities of news publishers and those of platforms. The debate around social media takedowns has intensified, especially following instances where parody and satire posts were removed, raising concerns about free speech. Advocacy groups like the Internet Freedom Foundation have called for the complete withdrawal of the proposed amendments, arguing they could lead to opaque censorship and violate natural justice principles. The IFF also highlighted the diminishing participation of civil society organizations in discussions about digital rights.