DIGITAL RIGHTS AND CONSTITUTIONAL LAW BY BHUVANESWAR, UMA MAHESWARI & KARISHMA

Social media has become an important part of communication, public discussion and democratic participation in India. At the same time, the rapid growth of digital platforms has created legal and constitutional concerns relating to misinformation, hate speech, online harassment, content removal and privacy. This paper examines social-media regulation from the perspective of Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India. It studies the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, and selected decisions of the Supreme Court concerning online expression, privacy and internet access. The study follows a doctrinal and analytical approach based on constitutional provisions, legislation, case law and scholarly literature. It also presents a brief comparison with regulatory approaches in the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom. The paper finds that regulation is necessary in the digital environment, but regulatory measures should remain transparent, lawful, proportionate and consistent with fundamental rights. It recommends stronger safeguards for privacy, clearer procedures for content removal, greater platform transparency and effective grievance-redressal mechanisms.