‘Stop Vizag Data Centers’ Instagram account blocked in India

The Instagram account of the citizen-led ‘Stop Vizag Data Centers’ campaign has been temporarily restricted in India, with the account currently unavailable to users in the country while remaining accessible in other countries, according to representatives of the movement. They alleged that the restriction process lacked prior deliberation.

Following the action, the movement has announced a backup Instagram account to continue posting.

A message displayed on the restricted account says: “We temporarily restricted access to this account pursuant to legal requirements under India’s Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules.”

Campaign representatives said that nine posts had been restricted in India in the weeks preceding the account-level action. The account had garnered more than 56 lakh views and 11,800 followers within two months. The movement has raised concerns over the development of AI data centres in and around Visakhapatnam, citing what it describes as a lack of transparency and socio-ecological costs associated with such projects.

The representatives alleged that content critical of the AI data centres posted by various organisations and through personal accounts had also been restricted. The representatives said the account-level restriction was the first such action against it and demanded that Meta restore the account.

Pragathi, an engineering student who attended a public awareness programme held on the potential impacts of large-scale AI data centres on water resources, electricity demand and local temperatures along Beach Road in Visakhapatnam on Sunday said: “After we created the ‘Stop Vizag Data Centers’ page to raise the voice of the people, our account was banned on Saturday (September 19) and all our reels were removed. If the Google data centre has genuine advantages, why is the government unable to answer the people’s questions? Why is it trying to silence our voices? We will continue to stand up for the people of Vizag and oppose the data centre project. We want justice.”

The event was conducted by Green Visakha, an environmental NGO with participation from student organisation. The organisation represetatives said the programme was aimed at creating public awareness about the responsible and sustainable use of natural resources and the potential impact of such projects on the ecosystem and biodiversity.

“Today (Sunday), we held a demonstration against the rapid expansion of data centres. We also conducted an awareness campaign by distributing pamphlets and speaking to people about the potential environmental and other impacts of such projects. We had over 11,000 followers, more than 56 lakh views and good engagement, besides a network of volunteers. By repeatedly taking down our posts, our content is being restricted and our dissent is being curtailed,” said Deeksha Vanguru, member of ‘Stop Vizag Data Centers.’