Income tax officials can access your email, social media accounts from next year: Report

 

Beginning April 1, 2026, income tax officials in India will have the authority to access individuals' social media accounts, personal emails, bank accounts, online investment accounts, trading accounts, and more if they suspect tax evasion or undisclosed income. 

This new power is granted under the Income-Tax Bill, 2025, which defines "virtual digital space" broadly to include email servers, social media accounts, online investment accounts, trading accounts, banking accounts, websites used to store details of ownership of assets, remote servers or cloud servers, and digital application platforms. 

Authorized officers, including high-ranking officials like Joint Directors, Additional Commissioners, and Income Tax Officers, can override access codes to gain entry into these digital spaces. However, experts raise concerns about data privacy, potential misuse, and the lack of safeguards for taxpayers' information.

The government aims to modernize tax enforcement and reduce tax evasion, but critics argue that this move could infringe on fundamental privacy rights and create opportunities for state overreach.