India Proposes Sweeping Changes to IT Rules to Combat AI-Generated Misinformation

The Centre has proposed sweeping changes to the Information Technology (IT) Rules that would require social media platforms and other online intermediaries to remove unlawful AI-generated content within three hours of receiving a valid government or court order, sharply reducing the existing compliance window of 36 hours. The draft amendments, released by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) for public consultation, also propose mandatory labelling of AI-generated content, faster grievance redress timelines and stricter obligations on platforms to combat deepfakes, AI-driven misinformation and other harmful synthetic media. According to MeitY, the proposed changes are aimed at addressing the growing misuse of artificial intelligence, including deepfakes, manipulated audio and video, AI-generated text, and impersonation, while ensuring "an open, safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace" for users.