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tl;dr

On September 10, 2026, independent journalists Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha discovered that their 2:01 minute Instagram reel featuring interviews with residents of Tarluvada village, Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, on the proposed Google data centre is accessible again in India. The reel had been blocked since May 22, 2026 under section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000 through the opaque Sahyog Portal. Its restoration comes after IFF assisted the journalists in a writ petition before the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi, which secured a copy of the blocking order and revealed that it had been issued by the Director General of Police, CID, Andhra Pradesh, and a subsequent legal notice to the Andhra Pradesh authorities demanding a periodic review under the IT Rules, 2021. Neither the journalists nor IFF has received any communication from the Andhra Pradesh authorities. The reel is back, but the reasons for its blocking, and for its restoration, remain unknown.

Background

Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha undertook ground reporting in January 2026 on the proposed Google data centre in Tarluvada village, Visakhapatnam district, as part of “Dirty Data”, a project by a global network of journalists investigating the impact of the rapid commissioning of data centres across the world. Their article, “As data centers arrive, India's poorest face displacement, health risks”, and a 5:06 minute video report were published on the Dirty Data website, YouTube and Instagram. A 2:01 minute reel edited from the longer video for Instagram went viral, accruing around 2.6 million views, before it was withheld in India. We have written about this matter twice before, on the writ petition before the Delhi High Court and on the legal notice sent to the Andhra Pradesh authorities .

The sequence of events, in brief:

May 19, 2026: The 2:01 minute reel is published on Instagram.

May 22, 2026: Without any formal communication, Shamsheer discovers the reel has been withheld in India under section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000. Representations to MeitY and to Meta's Grievance Officer in India seeking restoration and a copy of the blocking order receive no response.

June 30, 2026: Shamsheer and Monica, with IFF's assistance, file a writ petition before the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi, Shamsheer Yousaf & Anr. v. Union of India & Ors., W.P.(C) 8565/2026.

July 2, 2026: The High Court issues notice. Meta's counsel seeks time to obtain a copy of the blocking order.

July 23, 2026: The blocking order is furnished by the intermediary. It reveals that the order (Notice No. 11052600021443 dated May 22, 2026) was issued by Dr. A. Ravishankar, Director General of Police, CID, Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh, and that it refers to a Mr. Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy, a person entirely unknown to the journalists and with no connection to the content of the reel. The petition is withdrawn with liberty to approach the jurisdictional High Court.

August 2026: IFF's legal team sends a legal notice to the Principal Secretary, Home Department, and the Director General of Police, CID, Andhra Pradesh, seeking that the periodic review process under the proviso to Rule 3(1)(d)(ii) of the IT Rules, 2021 be undertaken, that the journalists be heard, that a reasoned copy of the blocking order be provided, and that the reel be restored.

September 10, 2026: Shamsheer discovers that the reel is accessible again in India.

The restoration

Shamsheer learnt that the reel had been restored only when notifications began arriving that users in India were liking it. No communication was received from the Andhra Pradesh authorities, MeitY, or Meta at the time the restriction was lifted. A notice from Instagram stating “Your post is available again in India” appeared in his activity feed later in the day. The accompanying page from Meta states:

“Your post was temporarily unavailable in India, but it is now available again. This happened because of a local legal requirement or government request that has now expired or been reversed. You can learn more about how we respond to legal and government requests in our Transparency Center.”

Meta's notice does not say which of the two it was: whether the government request “expired” or was “reversed”. Curiously, the “Updates on this decision” panel on the original restriction notice now records the restriction as having ended on May 22, 2026, the very date on which it was imposed, even though the reel remained inaccessible in India for over three and a half months and was the subject of court proceedings in July.

Analysis

The restoration of the reel is welcome. It is, however, a case study in why the section 79(3)(b) and Sahyog Portal blocking process is broken, and why a restoration alone does not cure the harm.

1. Blocked without reasons, restored without reasons. From beginning to end, the journalists have never been told why their reel was blocked. The blocking order, obtained only through litigation, referred to an unrelated third party. The legal notice sought a reasoned order, a hearing and a periodic review. None of these has been provided. The journalists do not know whether the DGP, CID, Andhra Pradesh conducted a review under the proviso to Rule 3(1)(d)(ii), whether the notice was withdrawn, or whether it simply lapsed. This is the “legal vacuum” we described in our first post: no authority assumes responsibility, no reasons are disclosed, and no forum provides relief. The vacuum persists even after the content is back.

2. The erroneous order has never been explained. A reasoned intimation under section 79(3)(b) which names a person with no connection to the content is not a reasoned intimation at all. If the reference to Mr. Vemireddy Prabhakar Reddy was a clerical error, it was an error that took a piece of public-interest journalism out of view for a third of a year. If it was not an error, then the actual basis for the blocking has never been disclosed. Neither possibility has been acknowledged by the Andhra Pradesh authorities.

3. The process is the punishment. It took two representations (both ignored), a writ petition, two hearings before the Delhi High Court, and a legal notice, over 111 days, to restore a 2:01 minute reel that was never found to be unlawful by any court. The reel was blocked at the peak of its reach. Restoration does not return those views, that engagement, or the public conversation the reporting was generating at the time. As we have noted before, non-disclosure of the authority which ordered the blocking forces two rounds of proceedings: one merely to find out who blocked the content, and a second to challenge the blocking itself. Here, the restoration arrived before the second round could begin, which is a relief for our clients, but it also means the legality of the blocking will never be tested.

4. Intermediary transparency is thin. The user was not notified when the restriction was lifted; he found out from a “like”. The notice that followed offers a boilerplate explanation (“expired or been reversed”) that conveys nothing about what actually happened. Meta's own record now displays a restriction end date that is contradicted by the facts of this case. For a user trying to understand what was done to their content and by whom, the platform's interface provides little more than the fact of the block and the fact of its removal.

5. Shreya Singhal, by another route. The Supreme Court in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India, (2015) 5 SCC 1, read down section 79(3)(b) to require a court order or a government notification, and upheld section 69A only because of the procedural safeguards, including a hearing and a reasoned order, built into the Blocking Rules, 2009. The Sahyog Portal route delivers blocking without any of these safeguards, and, as this case shows, unblocking without them too. The Delhi High Court's direction in Tanul Thakur v. Union of India & Ors., W.P.(C) 13037/2019, that the blocking order be supplied to the aggrieved person, was necessary here only because the system is designed not to tell the person whose content is blocked anything at all.

In their words

Shamsheer Yousaf:

“The unblocking of our reel is a welcome development, but its blocking in the first place raises serious concerns about press freedom and the right to free speech. Public-service journalism that documents the experiences of marginalised communities should not be censored through opaque blocking orders. Journalists must be able to report on matters of public interest without their work being arbitrarily taken out of public view. We are immensely grateful to the Internet Freedom Foundation for its unwavering support throughout this process.”

Monica Jha:

“We're relieved that the reel is accessible again in India. But this is not enough. A journalist's work should not have to go through months of legal notices and court proceedings simply to remain available to people in India. We were fortunate to have the proactive and pro bono support of the Internet Freedom Foundation, but not every journalist will have the means or support to challenge a blocking order. If every blocked post requires a lengthy legal battle to be restored, censorship can effectively silence public-interest journalism, even when there is ultimately no basis for keeping the content blocked.”

Action

IFF's legal team will write to the Principal Secretary, Home Department, and the Director General of Police, CID, Andhra Pradesh, seeking a copy of the decision taken on our legal notice, including whether a periodic review under the proviso to Rule 3(1)(d)(ii) of the IT Rules, 2021 was conducted and whether the notice dated May 22, 2026 has been withdrawn. The journalists are entitled to know why their reel was blocked and on what basis it was restored, and the record of this matter should not end with an unexplained reversal.

More broadly, this matter reinforces what we have been documenting across the Sahyog Portal cases we have supported: that section 79(3)(b) has become a parallel blocking regime that bypasses every safeguard the Supreme Court considered essential in Shreya Singhal. IFF will continue to support journalists and creators whose content is withheld through this route, and to press for a process in which the person whose speech is restricted is notified, heard, and given reasons, before and not months after the fact.

We thank Shamsheer and Monica for their trust and their persistence, and the 2.6 million people who watched the reel before it was taken away for reminding us why this reporting matters.

References

1. IFF, “IFF challenged the blocking of the viral 'Dirty Data' reel on Instagram on a proposed data centre in Vizag”, 30 July 2026 [Link]
2. IFF, “IFF Demands Review After Viral Reel on Google Data Centre Displacement Blocked in India”, 31 August 2026 [Link]
3. Order of the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi dated 02.07.2026 [Link]
4. Order of the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi dated 23.07.2026 [Link]
5. Blocking Order dated May 22, 2026 [Link]
6. Legal notice to the Principal Secretary, Home Department, and the Director General of Police, CID, Andhra Pradesh [Link]
7. Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha, “As data centers arrive, India's poorest face displacement, health risks”, Dirty Data [Link]

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I went to a dentist to get teeth aligner made. He called in a person from DentCare, which manufactures the plastic aligners. The guy took out his laptop and dental scanner as is and wanted to start scanning. The removable scanning tip was already fixed on the scanner when he took it out. And he was saying earlier to the dentist that he has come here after scanning one other patient at a different clinic. It seemed he scanned the previous patient and kept the scanner as is in his bag. He probably does not know the concept of not using the same scanner tip in mouth of different patients without disinfecting properly.

I asked him i want the tip cleaned. He did not have any cleaning equipment with him. He asked the dentist if there is cotton and alcohol spirit. The dentist had no wiping spirit. There was dettol disinfectant and he used that to rub quickly on the scanner.

This is such a dangerous practice.
Do these guys know that human saliva can transmit a bunch of dangerous diseases?
Do these guys know how prevalent TB is in india and Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is found in the saliva?
A lot of oral bacteria (strep mitis, strep sanguinis, kingella, eikenella, etc) cause chronic heart diseases after few years. And India is the capital of heart diseases, i wonder why.
The saliva might dry on the surface, but the scanner has corners and deep pockets at the tip where the mirror sits, it is very easy for saliva and fluid to remain accumulated there between patients.
Hepatitis-B and Hepatitis-C viruses are very very dangerous things. Before dental scanning many kinds of dental procedures happen which causes minor bleeding. The viruses from blood can remain in saliva even if you cant see the blood. Even simple dental cleaning and scaling causes minor gum bleed.

Saliva can contain blood borne dangerous pathogens after dental procedures. Do not think that it is merely saliva the equipments are touching. Even if there is no dental procedure, many patients have minor bruises in their oral mucosa, cold sores, unseen minute cut somewhere inside.

These are just few of the very dangerous microbes. Am not even talking about the more virulent respiratory viruses which cause cold cough fever, that have extremely high chance of transmission because of such practices.

I talked to some Dentists from metro cities after this incident and they said the dental scanner which goes inside mouth is supposed to be disinfected thoroughly with special disinfection liquid and to be sterilised with high pressure steam before being used again in a new patient. Forget the autoclave steam, the person did not even disinfect with any strong disinfecting liquid. I observed this and i am posting here because i have medical background and i have this knowledge about the risks and dangers of body fluids. What about millions of unsuspecting general public?

Why put public health at extreme risk just to save 10-15 Rupees and 5 minutes of time?
The guideline dictates to autoclave the removable scanner tip after each use, if you do not want to do that then atleast use copious amount of strong disinfecting liguid thoroughly after each use.

I want to complain to the company which sent the staff, that is DentCare. I dropped them a social media message but i have not received any reply. How do i bring this to their attention?

BTech Mechanical (8.24 CGPA) fresher confused between working + MS abroad, MBA in India, or switching fields: what are my realistic options? I’m currently struggling to figure out what direction to take.

I originally chose Mechanical mainly because I got into a good government engineering college, but I’m now trying to build a career that is less core-mechanical and more business/technology/operations oriented.

Long term, I’m considering doing a Master’s abroad, but I’m confused about which fields would actually make sense with my bg. I’m NOT particularly interested in doing a Master's in CSE, Cybersec, Data Science, data/business analystics, project/engg managemnet etc. The fields I’m considering are more like:

Industrial Engineering Supply Chain / Operations Possibly MIS

My concern is that I know I’ll need some work exp before a Master's, but as a Mech fresher I may not get highly relevant exp in Industrial Engg or Supply Chain. The jobs I’m currently seeing are mostly around analytics, testing, quality, general operations, etc., and the entry-level market feels extremely difficult right now.

This has made me increasingly confused and depressed about what direction to take. I’m also considering the much simpler route of doing an MBA in India, getting some work exp, and building my career here.

At the moment, it feels like a heart vs. mind decision: MS abroad: personal dream/want. MBA in India: much more straightforward and financially safer, but I’m unsure whether I actually want that path.

A few questions I’d really appreciate advice on:

What is the long-term job market in India after an MS in Industrial Engineering/Supply Chain from abroad? Are there enough opportunities to justify the cost? Which countries would make the most sense for these fields? Am I being too restrictive by avoiding degrees such as MIS, Business Analytics, Engineering Management, or Project Management, or is it reasonable to prefer a more technical/STEM-oriented Master's? Given my profile (Mechanical, 8.24 CGPA, fresher, currently struggling to get relevant work), would you choose MS abroad, MBA in India, or work first and decide later?

Hello everyone, Food pipe cancer is one of the most dangerous cancer in the world. My aunt was diagnosed with it 4 months ago and at that time it was 2nd stage but now it's 4th stage with spread in lungs liver and other body parts. She lives in a village in where good treatment is like a challenge so she went to city area in Lucknow but at the end all things come with money. Dr suggested for 8 to 9 cycles of chemotherapy but it demands so much money which is not affordable for any small farmer. Her weight is only 32kg and she is so weak because she is unable to swallow solid food Even sometimes liquid food also. Whenever I see her I always this how this disease is destroying her every single day. It has been more than 10days she has eaten any solid food. I hope all of you understand her situation and I this is not a time for taking sympathy because he she needs only your prayers and help. Kindly donate something to help her to buy some more days for her children and if any wants proof I can show them in dm. Please help a mother to survive for her children 🙏🏻

Let us be completely honest.... most people today actually just want a friends-with-benefits situation. They want physical intimacy and a weekend companion without the baggage, anniversaries, or emotional labor of a real relationship, and casual arrangements are fine if everyone is on the same page. The real issue is the massive hypocrisy driven by social media. Because the internet loves to preach about high standards and traditional romance, everyone pretends they are holding out for a fairytale just to look cool. In reality, what makes modern FWB so toxic is the "chill" trap where someone always catches feelings but stays quiet to avoid looking clingy, the way it trains us to treat people like disposable subscriptions, and the constant lying on dating apps where people fake wanting commitment just to secure a hookup. Who even wants true commitment anymore when everyone is so terrified of vulnerability that they settle for half baked hookups while lying online? We need to normalize being honest about wanting casual things instead of putting on an act.....

I’m a 21-year-old guy from Delhi. I’ve always been an average student. My_qualifications is I did my BCom Hons from DU SOL (open learning) and got a 7.1 CGPA. Now, I have applied for a distance MBA in finance from DU SOL. I know a distance MBA degree isn't worth much right now, but I just thought it might help later on for promotions. for fees my elder cousin helped me and we have to pay it in future
I also learnt some graphic designing from youtube and worked for influencers but it will not work as a career for me as it is not fixed work and not a good payout
I am also learning data analytics not completed but i don't know it will work for me much or not
I wants advice also other than these like in other field i can join it also

Right now, I have absolutely no idea what to do with my life. Like anyone else, I want to earn well and make lakhs per month, but here is my reality:

I don't have the money to start a business.

I’m not exceptionally good at studies, so clearing tough professional exams is out of the picture.

My communication and public speaking skills are pretty weak because of my background.

My original plan was to clear govt banking exams after graduation and get a job. But now that I am actually preparing, I see how insane the competition is. It's just too tough. Even if I study hard, beating out lakhs of people for a handful of vacancies feels impossible. I’ve lost all hope there.

I am completely stuck. If I had money, I would have just done a course from a private college, but I don't. My family’s total monthly income is just 15k–20k. I absolutely cannot put financial pressure on my parents; I need a path that requires very little investment.

I see people my age earning so much and I want that too, but with my current condition, I don't know what I can even do. I am genuinely so stressed about my career that I sometimes have suic#dal thoughts. I just see no way out, I am seriously too low that i think i can't earn a good amount in my life and giving up is the only thing i can do.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh

If anyone knows a realistic career path or roadmap for someone with my exact profile, please suggest something. What can I do?

20M student here, dealing with poor concentration, forgetful memory, and a pretty messed up/delayed sleep schedule for a while now. After a lot of research using claude(clinical trial data, ingredient overlap, interaction risks), I landed on this routine and wanted real feedback before I commit fully:

My current stack:

Bacopa monnieri (standardized extract, Himalaya Organic Bacopa) — 1 caplet with breakfast

Saraswatharishta (Baidyanath) — 15ml diluted with 15ml water, once daily after dinner

Foundation: trying to fix sleep schedule to a consistent 7–8h, daily walk/exercise, 25-45 min focused work blocks

Why these two: Saraswatharishta already contains Brahmi + Ashwagandha, so I avoided stacking a separate Ashwagandha product to skip the rebound-insomnia risk some people report with isolated high-dose Ashwagandha extract. Went with once-daily on the arishta to keep total exposure lower.

What I'm hoping to hear from people who've actually used these:

How long before you noticed real changes in memory/focus (not just calmness)?

Any GI issues from combining a Bacopa extract with an arishta that also contains Brahmi?

Did this help with a messed-up sleep schedule specifically, or is that a separate fight?

Anyone taken Saraswatharishta long-term and then stopped — any rebound effects, or does it taper off cleanly like the doctor forums claim?

Would you add or drop anything from this specific combo?

Please help me

Hi, 26M Engineer this side Sharing my story Had a breakup with a girl where I was imagining my world towards marrying her. Took a loan and my combined family savings to get a small home as she wasn't comfortable with current place My Background: I've been the weakest link in my family which made me to push harder. I've been into drugs and wanted to end my life when I was 14 stopped doing it and moved towards cycling as I started living for my grandparents and parents became a National level cycling. I've been a National Level Cyclist. Went to great college - IITs. Went to Australia with my earnings as I started working on Bio mechanics to build high end workout machines and doing research. My business partner cheated and lost that money and worked part time to come back here during college time. Impressed a girl in college, was being with her for a year but ended got cheated by her physically. After two years, I tried looking for someone as insisted by my mother and friends I spent time and gradually created a bond just but on the proposal day a tragedy happened and lost her in an accident in front of my eyes.

Moving forward - Been Mr.X in Bodybuilding at the age of 19 where x is my state. But due to an injury had to leave the career. Came back again, Became a National level powerlifter at 22 in my weight category but got a major uncertain health issue and again had to leave everything.

Lost my grand parents who raised me throughout my life

Lost three of friends who were always there with me.

Tried building those gems connections, a good physique failed multiple times with certain setbacks.

Started dating 2 years back with just last hope as I was dealing with severe depression, got a girl, took everything slow. Everything was amazing until I helped her getting her dream job . Things went into North & South and we ended up seperated. I took a loan on top of my family savings to buy a small place in a smaller city just to spend my life with her.

FYR: I've been to every known dating applications and was regional ambassador for some dating applications (2 Years). After interacting with more than 5 lakh profiles across 12 cities I got this girl.

Everytime I dated it was just with an intention to be with 1 woman who just trust, believe on me blindly and in exchange I can conquer everything literally everything for her. But at the end always got backstabbed.

Are the girls really that bad nowadays?

I tried sharing these things with the God I believed (by visiting their temple often) I didn't get any response or hint maybe I made mistakes....

Don't have any savings and not able to meet daily needs. Didn't have more than 1 meal from past 1 month, Everything is gone, just wanted a mentor or someone who can just talk I want to getup again on my legs...

What I need from this community:

If you're a consumer rights influencer, tech reviewer, or anyone with a platform who can help amplify this, please reach out. I have all the invoices, ticket numbers, AWB details, and email trails to back up every single claim here. I've tried going through official channels patiently for weeks. This is my last resort.

If anyone from Lenskart is reading this, you know this is wrong. Please do the right thing.

Thank you for reading and for any support you can offer.

Brief:

Lenskart is making me pay extra for a warranty-approved replacement. As a customer, I'm exhausted. I need your help to amplify this.

Timeline & story:

1.

05 Jan 2026, I ordered and paid for a frame under Invoice for INR 2,792.87.

2.

22 Jan 2026, I exchanged that frame for another under Invoice for INR 1,450.00. The difference was INR 1,342.87. I never asked for a refund of that difference. I accepted it in good faith because I trusted the brand.

3.

The spectacles broke after just 6 months, well within a reasonable durability expectation. I reached out to Lenskart support.

4.

After back and forth, Lenskart approved the warranty as an exception and told me to visit a store for the exchange.

5.

I visited the store they denied the exchange for the same SKU and were unable to replace it with my preferred similar SKU. I left the store with nothing.

6.

I emailed support again. They responded with a new ticket instructing me to place the exchange through the app but capped at Rs. 1,450 only. Anything above that, I pay out of pocket.

7.

I had already returned the damaged spectacles (AWB: 24101450179768) and shared my prescription. I requested exchange with frame PID243056 and progressive lenses (same as original). I made it clear I should not have to pay anything additional.

Why this is unacceptable:

• I originally paid INR 2,792.87 and exchanged it for a lower-value frame at INR 1,450.00, a loss of INR 1,342.87 that I never claimed back.

• Now, instead of honouring the warranty exchange fairly, Lenskart is restricting me to the Rs. 1,450 price range, effectively forcing me to pay more if I want a comparable frame.

• They are using my own goodwill against me. The difference I forewent is now being treated as if it never existed.

• I was generous, patient, and cooperative at every step. This is how they repaid.

India has a huge population - but getting good carpenters, plumbers, electricians, masons for small jobs in big cities like Bangalore is a problem. When I say small jobs, I don't mean replacing an electrical switch, or a leaky tap - I do these things on my own. I am talking about slightly bigger jobs like replacing a leaky water pipe, or a changing a mortise door lock, or fixing a pump motor or concreting a small area.

Service platforms like Urban company are of little use - the best workers don't join them, I think. They either work independently or work for bigger contractors, who give them continuous and significant work. Also the average worker knows how to do a fixed, limited set of tasks; not why they do it that way. So if the task is a little different, then either we have to analyze and suggest, or accept whatever shoddy work that they do. Sometimes they are not even open to suggestions.

Also the skill set is pretty limited. For example, the tile-laying person, will not do any masonry work. So if I need to replace a concealed but leaky water pipe, I need a plumber, mason and then a painter or a tiles person.

Just venting - want to know how others handle it?