Censorship – Social Media

Instagram, owned by Meta, has suspended (Archive) the account of political satirist Shamita Yadav for copyright violations. Yadav is widely known as The Ranting Gola on social media.

The account was deleted on May 28, 2025, as shown in a screenshot in a short video she shared, which informed about the suspension of her account. “180 days left to appeal, or we’ll permanently disable your account,” reads the rest of the notice from Instagram.

The satirist claims that Meta has suspended her account without prior notice, calling it bullying and harassment. “They are silencing both my voice and yours in the name of copyright violations,” she said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). She added that she wants her account restored.

Copyright Violations and Fair Use
The controversy around the usage of copyrighted content by the content creator was intensified following the Asian News International (ANI) vs YouTubers case, particularly after Mohak Mandal spoke against ANI’s demands. ANI has led a campaign against YouTubers, charging licensing fees of up to Rs. 45 lakh for clips used without prior permission. MediaNama has independently verified the claims that were first reported by The Reporters Collective.