Will Income Tax Dept Access Social Media Handles From April 1, 2026?

A post claiming that Income Tax (IT) department officers can access to emails, social media handles with effect from April 1, 2026 was fact checked by PIB as "misleading".

The blanket statement made by the twitter handle @IndianTechGuide gave the picture that IT Department could monitor your social media, emails, and other digital platforms as a measure against tax evasion.  

What's The Real Story?

The provisions of section 247 of the Income Tax Act 2025 are strictly limited to Search and Survey operations. 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.

The powers cannot be used for routine information gathering/processing, or even for cases under scrutiny assessment. These measures are specifically designed to target black money and large-scale evasion during search and survey, not the everyday law-abiding citizen.

The power to seize documents and evidence during search and survey operations has existed since the 1961 Act.

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However, these provisions allow the IT Department to make digital searches possible rather than limiting themselves to traditional income tax searches, where officers primarily focus on material assets such as cash, and jewellery. Now, those search and seizure powers will extend to digital space as well.