The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has issued a detailed clarification after a claim went viral on social media stating that the Income Tax Department would be able to access people’s social media accounts, emails and other digital platforms from April 1, 2026. PIB said this claim is misleading and has caused unnecessary fear among taxpayers.

According to PIB, the Income Tax Department does not have the power to monitor or access the digital accounts of ordinary citizens. The government clarified that such access will be allowed only in very specific situations and only during official search and survey operations related to serious tax evasion cases. Honest and law-abiding taxpayers will not be affected by these rules.

PIB explained that unless there is strong evidence of large-scale tax evasion and a taxpayer is facing a formal search operation, the department cannot enter private digital spaces such as emails, social media accounts, or cloud storage. Routine income tax assessments, data processing, and scrutiny cases do not allow authorities to access personal digital platforms.

The clarification was issued after an X (formerly Twitter) account named @IndianTechGuide shared a post claiming that tax authorities would soon start mass digital surveillance. PIB identified this claim as false and said it wrongly suggested that everyone’s digital activity would come under government monitoring.

The fact-checking unit stressed that the powers mentioned in the new tax law are aimed only at tackling black money and large-scale tax evasion. These measures are meant to help authorities collect evidence during search and survey operations, not to target everyday citizens who follow tax laws.

PIB also pointed out that the power to seize documents and digital evidence is not new. Similar powers have existed under the Income Tax Act of 1961. What has changed is the way these powers are defined in the updated law. From April 1, 2026, the old Income Tax Act of 1961 will be replaced by the Income Tax Act, 2025. The new law aims to simplify tax compliance by reducing the number of complex sections from 819 to a smaller and clearer set of provisions.

Under the old law, Section 132 allowed tax officials to enter premises and seize documents or electronic devices. In the new law, Section 247 allows authorised officers to access digital systems or “virtual digital spaces” during search operations by legally overriding access codes.

The government explained that this change is necessary because many tax evaders now store important data on digital servers and online platforms. Accessing digital evidence helps authorities prove tax evasion in court and accurately calculate the amount of tax that has been hidden. PIB reassured taxpayers that there will be no mass surveillance and that the new provisions are targeted, lawful, and focused only on serious cases of tax fraud.