India: Adoption of Information Technology Rules 2021 including data retention requirement

On 25 February 2021, the India Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology adopted the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 which include the requirement for "significant social media intermediaries" to retain user information for 6 months if the user cancels its registration from the service. The entities that have above 5 million registered users are classified as “significant social media intermediaries” and will have to comply with the data retention requirement. Moreover, any content that is removed from the social media platform because it is unlawful or after a grievance complaint shall be retained for 6 months for investigation purposes, or for longer if requested by judiciary courts or authorised Government agencies.