In the last week of February 2021, what was widely perceived as Government of India’s attempt to rein in social media and OTT platforms, was the top news in both the digital as well as the conventional media The government’s diktat is titled “Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.” (Gazette of India, 2021) It was claimed that the Indian government had managed to do what even the powerful European nations could not – bringing the social media czars to their knees. But, the fact is that these rules are meant less for controlling the intermediary platforms and more for terrorizing the people into submission and silencing those who raise fundamental socio-cultural and political issues. The new rules would substantially erode the freedom of expression.