Government’s big decision: Deepfake and AI content to be removed within 3 hours, new rules issued

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) – The Indian government has tightened regulations regarding AI-generated content, including deepfakes. The newly amended Information Technology Rules, 2021, now require major online platforms to remove AI/Deepfake content within three hours upon court or government directive. These rules will take effect February 20, 2026.

The government aims to rapidly control the spread of false, misleading and harmful content on social media and digital platforms, especially that being created using AI technology.

Changed timelines: Previously, platforms were given 36 hours to remove content in response to a government or court order. This timeframe has now been reduced to just 3 hours to more quickly address the risks posed by misinformation and misleading AI content. Furthermore, the timeframe for resolving consumer complaints has also been reduced to expedite the resolution of user-reported issues.

These things are excluded from the rules. Some things like routine editing, enhancement of content and educational or design work done in good faith are currently excluded from these new rules. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has informed in the notification that the major changes include treating fabricated content as information. AI content will be treated at par with other information for determining unlawful acts under the IT rules.

The rules mandate mandatory labeling of AI content. Platforms that facilitate the creation or sharing of artificial content must ensure that such content is clearly and prominently labeled. Where technically feasible, this should be associated with persistent metadata or identifiers. The notification also states that intermediaries (platforms) cannot hide or remove AI labels once they have been applied.