Government tightens deepfake rules, mandates AI content labels and three-hour takedown timeline

The government has tightened India's regulatory framework to tackle AI-generated deepfakes, mandating clear labelling of synthetic content and sharply reducing the timeline for social media platforms and other intermediaries to remove unlawful content from 36 hours to just three hours.

The measures, introduced through amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, aim to curb the misuse of artificial intelligence while ensuring an "open, safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace", according to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

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The amended rules require intermediaries to ensure that permissible AI-generated content carries clear labels and traceable metadata, enabling users to identify synthetically generated material and reducing the risk of deception.

The government has also expanded the scope of the rules to explicitly cover AI-generated child sexual abuse material, non-consensual intimate imagery, impersonation and other harmful synthetic content, requiring platforms to prevent such content and act promptly when detected.

Among the key changes is a significant tightening of compliance timelines. Intermediaries must now remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving a valid order or reasoned intimation from the government or a court, compared with the earlier 36-hour deadline.

Grievance redressal timelines have also been shortened, with complaints involving sensitive issues such as nudity and impersonation now requiring action within two hours, down from 24 hours. Other grievance timelines have been reduced from 72 hours to 36 hours.

The rules further require intermediaries to deploy "reasonable and appropriate" technical measures, including automated tools, to prevent users from creating, modifying or sharing AI-generated content that violates Indian law.

Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs) are also required to make reasonable efforts to proactively detect content depicting rape, child sexual abuse or material identical to content that has previously been removed.

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The government said platforms must clearly inform users through their terms of service about the consequences of posting unlawful content, including removal of content, suspension or termination of accounts.

Social media platforms with more than 50 lakh registered users in India are subject to additional obligations, including the deployment of automated tools to curb unlawful content, publication of compliance reports, appointment of grievance and compliance officers in India, and assistance to law enforcement in tracing the originators of serious messages where required by law.

The regulatory framework is backed by provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, which covers offences such as identity theft, impersonation, privacy violations and the publication of obscene or sexually explicit content, as well as powers to block or remove unlawful information.

The government also cited provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including those relating to cheating by pfersonation, forgery, misinformation causing public mischief and organised cybercrime.

To support enforcement, authorities highlighted mechanisms such as the Grievance Appellate Committees (GACs), the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), the SAHYOG portal for issuing takedown notices, the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal and the Samanvaya platform, which links cybercrime investigations across states.

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The government said it has also adopted a risk-based approach to AI governance through the India AI Governance Guidelines released in November 2025 and is supporting indigenous deepfake detection technologies under the IndiaAI Mission.

Among the projects approved are Saakshya, a multi-agent deepfake detection framework developed by IIT Jodhpur and IIT Madras, AI Vishleshak for audio-visual forgery detection, and IIT Kharagpur's Real-Time Voice Deepfake Detection System.

The government added that intermediaries failing to comply with the IT Rules risk losing the safe harbour protection available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, making them liable for prosecution under applicable laws.

The details were shared by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on August 5.