New Delhi: The Government of India has strengthened regulations governing artificial intelligence-generated and synthetically altered content and placed stricter responsibilities on digital platforms and social media companies.

Under the updated Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, platforms now have a significantly shorter deadline to act on certain unlawful content after they receive a valid government or court direction.

Removal Deadline Reduced From 36 Hours to 3 Hours

The major change reduces the response period for specified unlawful content.

Platforms previously had up to 36 hours to remove content after receiving a valid legal direction. The revised framework cuts this period to three hours and puts greater pressure on intermediaries to respond quickly to content that violates applicable laws.

The change aims to limit the spread of harmful or unlawful material online, particularly content that can reach large audiences rapidly through social media and other digital platforms.

New Requirements for AI-Generated Content

The revised rules also introduce stronger requirements for synthetically generated information, including AI-generated or manipulated images, videos and audio.

The rules require platforms to provide clear and prominent disclosures for permitted synthetic content. The framework also seeks to improve the identification of AI-generated material through technical measures such as metadata and other traceability mechanisms, where technically feasible.

These measures aim to help users distinguish authentic media from content that artificial intelligence has created or significantly modified.

Deepfakes Come Under Greater Scrutiny

The changes carry particular significance as AI-powered deepfakes become increasingly sophisticated.

People can use manipulated videos, cloned voices and digitally altered images to spread misinformation, impersonate individuals or facilitate fraud. The new requirements aim to make synthetic content easier to identify and give authorities and platforms stronger mechanisms to address unlawful material.

However, the three-hour removal requirement does not mean that authorities expect platforms to automatically delete every piece of AI-generated content. The removal timeline applies to situations covered by relevant legal and government directions. Permitted synthetic content can instead remain online while platforms apply the required labelling and traceability measures.

What the New Rules Mean for Digital Platforms

The updated framework gives intermediaries greater responsibility for monitoring compliance and responding quickly to legally actionable content.

Technology companies, social media platforms and other intermediaries may need to improve their content moderation systems, reporting mechanisms and processes for identifying synthetic media.

For users, clearer labelling can make it easier to determine whether AI generated or significantly altered an image, video or audio clip.

Growing Focus on AI Safety and Digital Trust

India’s regulatory approach reflects growing concerns about generative AI and its impact on online safety, misinformation, impersonation and cybercrime.

As AI tools become easier to access, people can create increasingly convincing fake media. Stronger disclosure, traceability and content-removal requirements can therefore play an important role in improving trust in digital communications.

Conclusion

India’s updated IT rules mark a significant step toward stronger accountability for AI-generated and synthetic content online. By reducing the response timeline for specified unlawful content from 36 hours to three hours and introducing stronger requirements for AI-content labelling and traceability, the government has placed greater responsibility on digital platforms.

The framework’s effectiveness will ultimately depend on how consistently platforms implement these requirements while balancing user rights, innovation and online safety.