As India, the world's largest democracy, witnesses nearly a billion voters heading to the polls, CDT, Article 19 and eight other civil society organizations have called on the Indian government to cease its suppression of press activity and political opposition.

The Indian government has utilized the extensive and burdensome IT Rules to order major tech platforms to block accounts and limit the distribution of posts by activists, media outlets, and political leaders. This has been carried out with minimal transparency and due process.

The aforementioned organizations have written a letter containing several recommendations for the Indian government. These include refraining from issuing content-blocking orders and safeguarding the right to freedom of expression and equality during the election period. The letter also urges technology companies to resist overbroad content blocking orders.

Read the full letter here.