The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has released a detailed fact-check report after a social media post claimed that the Income Tax Department would be able to access users’ social media accounts, emails, and other digital platform details from April 1, 2026.
PIB stated that this post was misleading, specifying that under the provisions of the Income Tax Act 2025, such measures will be restricted to ‘Search and Survey’ operations, implying that the honest taxpayers will not be affected.
While stressing that on the social media handle “X,” @IndianTechGuide shared the misleading post, which claimed mass digital surveillance by tax authorities, PIB mentioned that “Unless a taxpayer is undergoing a formal search operation due to evidence of significant tax evasion, the department has no power to access their private digital spaces.”
PIB stated that the income tax department could not access private digital platforms for routine assessments, data processing, or scrutiny cases. The taxpayers who comply with the law are not affected by such provisions.
Also Read: I-T Legal Provisions for Tax Evaders & Non-Filing Returns
Such measures are made to target the black money and large-scale evasion at the time of investigation, rather than the everyday law-abiding citizen. The authority to seize documents and proof in the investigation operations has always existed since the 1961 Act, the fact-checking unit added.
A post by @IndianTechGuide claims that from April 1, 2026, the Income Tax Department will have the 'authority' to access your social media, emails, and other digital platforms to curb tax evasion.#PIBFactCheck
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) December 22, 2025
❌The claim being made in this post is #misleading! Here’s the real… pic.twitter.com/hIyPPcvALF
With the simpler modern Income Tax Act, 2025, the outdated Income Tax Act of 1961 will be substituted w.e.f. April 1, 2026. By lessening the 819 complex sections of the 1961 Act to fewer, the new tax law streamlines compliance, which makes provisions easier.
Section 132 of the Income Tax Act previous law, authorises authorities to enter property, seize documents or equipment, and access digital data. The new Section 247 specifies that an authorised officer can get access by “overriding” the access code of a computer system or ‘virtual digital space’.
Many malicious actors store their data on servers and in storage facilities. Therefore, collecting evidence from digital accounts is essential for proving tax evasion in a court of law as well as determining the precise amount of tax that has been evaded.
