Instagram Reel on Google Data Centre Restored in India After 111 Days

An Instagram reel that documented the potential impact of a proposed Google data centre on residents of Tarluvada village in Visakhapatnam district, Andhra Pradesh, is now accessible again in India. The video was restored on September 10, more than three months after it was initially blocked on May 22, 2026, without any official explanation.

Journalists Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha discovered the reel's restoration through user notifications, rather than direct communication from authorities. The video had been blocked under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act, 2000, via the government's Sahyog Portal. Complaints to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) and Meta's grievance officer went unanswered previously.

The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) assisted the journalists by filing a writ petition before the Delhi High Court and later issued a legal notice requesting a review under the IT Rules, 2021. Meta stated the block was due to a "local legal requirement or government request that has now expired or been reversed," but did not specify the exact reason or the blocking order's origin. However, an order issued by the Director General of Police, CID, Andhra Pradesh, had named an individual unconnected to the journalists or their reporting.

The reel was part of "Dirty Data," a global journalism project examining the impact of rapid data centre construction. Adapted from a longer report on displacement and health concerns related to the Google facility, the reel had garnered approximately 2.6 million views before being removed from view in India. Despite the platform noting the restriction ended on May 22, 2026, the video remained unavailable for over three and a half months during the legal challenge.