India: Instagram’s censorship of COVID-19 posts jeopardises free speech
Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, 6 May 2021: Volunteer working at a gurudwara during the surge in COVID-19 cases.
Credit: PradeepGaurs /Shutterstock
For the past few months, India has been at the centre of a devastating breakdown of public health institutions and is currently experiencing a severe public health crisis due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Social media platforms are a crucial channel for people to communicate about a number of important issues related to the pandemic, such as the availability of intensive care beds, delivery of oxygen cylinders, food, and protective clothing, among other essentials.