Regulatory Challenges in India's Digital Media Landscape

ABSTRACT

India’s digital media landscape has undergone an unprecedented transformation over the past decade, driven by expanded internet access, affordable smartphones, and the rapid rise of social platforms. As millions of Indians consume news, entertainment, and political content online, the regulatory ecosystem has struggled to evolve at the same pace. This paper examines India’s digital media regulatory challenges—legal, ethical, technological, and socio-political—through a humanized lens. It explores issues related to misinformation, data governance, platform accountability, online harms, the political economy of digital platforms, and tensions between state control and freedom of expression. The study concludes with policy recommendations for a more transparent, rights-based, and adaptive regulatory framework.

Keywords: Digital Media Regulation, India, Misinformation, IT Rules, Freedom of Expression, Platform Governance.