*BeerBiceps row shouldn’t become an excuse for state to flex its biceps* Internet neither free nor unregulated Before exploring these aspects further, it is important to understand the current state of play. An oft-repeated claim is that the ‘internet is unregulated’. This is incorrect. Legal instruments such as criminal codes apply to the internet and are regularly used to prosecute people for actions on this medium, including in this case. Laws and rules such as the Information Technology Act and the much-criticised IT Rules 2021, which apply to services/platforms on the internet including social media, streaming services, and digital news publishers, already afford much leeway to the executive branch without sufficient checks. Some parts of the IT Rules pertaining to digital news publishers and the establishment of a fact-checking unit have been stayed by high courts citing concerns about press freedom. Besides, India is infamous for political armies of ‘trolls’ seeking to threaten/intimidate independent voices, both in digital and physical spaces,  especially if they belong to religious/caste/gender/sexual minorities. More recently, pushback from content creators and civil society forced the Union govt to withdraw a draft version of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill. The draft sought to impose a tiered regulatory structure under executive control and penalties on content creators, commentators, effectively stifling the entire enterprise, especially independent voices. The moral panic should not become a convenient excuse to revive this Bill https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/beerbiceps-row-shouldnt-become-an-excuse-for-state-to-flex-its-biceps/ *Join AIM Groups:* https://awakenindiamovement.com/groups/ *Join AIM Whatsapp Broadcast Channel:* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaAgLgJBKfi69nKswZ2b *Join AIM Telegram Broadcast Channel:* https://t.me/awakenindiamovement