RSF condemns blocking of Instagram report on Google’s Andhra Pradesh data centre project
The blocking of an investigative video report by the Indian government on the impact of Google’s proposed USD 15 billion data centre project in Andhra Pradesh has drawn criticism from Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has condemned the move as censorship and called on Meta, which owns Instagram, to immediately restore the content on the social media platform highlighting land rights concerns raised by Dalit families near Visakhapatnam, where Google plans to develop its largest AI hub outside the United States.
In a press statement, RSF says that according to the report the two-minute video was produced by the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC), an international network of journalists investigating environmental crimes. Published on Instagram on May 19, the report was created by Indian journalists Shamsheer Yousaf and Monica Jha and focussed on concerns raised by Dalit families living in villages near Visakhapatnam, where Google and its partners are planning a major AI and data centre hub.
The report shows that residents of Tarluvada village claimed they were under pressure to sell their land to the government for the project, which is expected to become Google’s largest AI hub outside the United States. The video highlighted fears among local communities about land acquisition and the social impact of the development.
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The report quickly gained traction online, receiving more than 2.5 million views across platforms within four days. However, on May 22, ERC received a notification from Instagram stating that the video had been blocked in India following an order from ‘The government of India/Law enforcement’ under Section 79(3)(b) of the Information Technology Act, 2000.
Under this provision, social media platforms can lose legal protections if they fail to remove content flagged by government authorities. ERC says it was not provided with any explanation regarding the legal basis, policy justification or specific complaint that led to the restriction.
RSF criticised the lack of transparency surrounding the decision and warned that the removal of journalistic content without justification or an opportunity to challenge the order undermines press freedom and the public’s right to information.
The controversy comes as Google prepares to move ahead with its planned investment in Andhra Pradesh. The company officially announced in October 2025 that it would invest around USD 15 billion in data centres and digital infrastructure in partnership with AdaniConneX and Airtel to create an AI hub in Visakhapatnam. Adani Group later announced plans to invest up to USD 5 billion in the project.
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According to reports, the development will include three interconnected data centre campuses with a combined capacity of 1GW across sites in Adivivaram, Tarluvada and the Rambilli-Achyutapuram cluster. The facilities are expected to be operational by July 2028 and will be supported by submarine cable landings, cable landing stations, metro fibre networks and other telecommunications infrastructure.
RSF says that the blocking of the report raises broader concerns about restrictions on investigative journalism related to environmental issues, land rights and large-scale infrastructure projects, particularly when such reporting serves the public interest.
“Public interest reporting on the environment and land rights must be protected, not suppressed. The removal of journalistic content, without any transparency, justification or opportunity to challenge the decision, constitutes a serious threat to press freedom. RSF calls for the video to be restored by Instagram, the platform on which these revelations about government pressure were hosted. The Environmental Reporting Collective is simply doing its job of informing the public,” says Célia Mercier, Head of RSF’s South Asia desk.