India Grants Tax Officials Sweeping Digital Access Powers

India's income tax department will gain powers to access citizens' social media accounts, emails and other digital spaces beginning April 2026 under the new income tax bill, in a significant expansion of its search and seizure authority.

The legislation, which has raised privacy concerns among legal experts, allows tax officers to 'gain access by overriding the access code' to computer systems and 'virtual digital spaces' if they suspect tax evasion.

The bill broadly defines virtual digital spaces to include email servers, social media accounts, online investment accounts, banking platforms, and cloud servers.

'The expansion raises significant concerns regarding constitutional validity, potential state overreach, and practical enforcement,' Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal and Associates, told Indian newspaper Economic Times.

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