India has introduced sweeping new restrictions on the use of artificial intelligence–generated content on social media platforms, significantly tightening compliance requirements and speeding up government-ordered takedowns.
Under updated rules issued by the Ministry of Information Technology, social media companies must now remove content flagged by authorities within three hours, a sharp reduction from the previous 36-hour window.
The government can order removals for material considered illegal under Indian law, including content linked to national security, public order and other legal violations.
The revised regulations also make it mandatory for platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok to clearly label what authorities describe as “synthetically generated information.” These labels must be permanent and designed so they cannot be hidden, altered or removed, dw.com reports.
Platforms will be held responsible if AI-generated or manipulated content appears without the required markings. The rules also prohibit certain categories of synthetic content altogether, although detailed classifications were not immediately outlined in the announcement.
The measures were published as amendments to India’s 2021 Information Technology Rules and are set to take effect on February 20.
The move reflects rising concern in India over the misuse of generative AI tools to create convincing deepfakes, impersonations and altered media.
Such content has increasingly been linked to online fraud, harassment, political misinformation and reputational damage.
With roughly one billion internet users, India represents one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing digital markets, making the regulation of online platforms a major policy priority.
The announcement comes just days before New Delhi hosts a major global AI summit, expected to draw international leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron, placing India’s approach to AI governance in the global spotlight.
