Last Updated:December 22, 2025, 18:04 IST

PIB Fact Check says these powers are restricted to formal search and survey operations.

The government on Monday dismissed a social media claim suggesting that the income tax department will gain sweeping powers to access private digital data such as emails and social media accounts from April 1, 2026, calling the information “misleading”.

In a post on X, PIB Fact Check clarified that a claim made by the handle @IndianTechGuide had incorrectly interpreted provisions of the Income Tax Act, 2025. The IndianTechGuide’s post had alleged that the tax department would have blanket “authority” to access citizens’ digital platforms to curb tax evasion.

“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. The claim being made in this post is misleading,” PIB Fact Check said.

Terming the claim “misleading”, PIB Fact Check said that the relevant provisions under Section 247 of the Income Tax Act, 2025, are narrowly defined and apply only in specific circumstances. According to the clarification, 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,” PIB said.

The government emphasised that the Income Tax Department does not have the authority to access private digital spaces for routine information gathering, processing of returns or even during scrutiny assessments. Such powers, PIB Fact Check said, are meant exclusively for cases involving black money and large-scale tax evasion uncovered during authorised search and survey actions.

“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,” it added.

It further pointed out that the ability of tax authorities to seize documents and evidence during search and survey operations is not new and has existed since the enactment of the Income Tax Act, 1961. The 2025 law, it said, does not expand these powers to cover ordinary, law-abiding taxpayers.

“The power to seize documents and evidence during search and survey operations has existed since the 1961 Act,” it added.

The clarification comes amid growing public concern and online speculation around data privacy and surveillance following the passage of the Income Tax Act, 2025. The government’s response seeks to reassure taxpayers that there is no change in the scope of routine tax administration and that private digital communications remain protected unless a taxpayer is subject to a legally sanctioned search operation.

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