Govt Looks To Tighten IT Rules; Mandate Labelling For Deepfakes, AI-Generated Content

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has put forward draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, aimed at imposing stricter obligations on major social media intermediaries (SSMIs) like Facebook, Instagram and others to label and tag AI-generated and synthetic content.

Under the proposed changes, platforms will be required to adopt a clear definition of "synthetically generated information", embed metadata and labeling to allow users to distinguish synthetic from authentic content, and ensure visibility and audibility standards such as a minimum 10% visual or initial audio duration for synthetic content markings.

Platforms classified as SSMIs must also undertake enhanced verification and declaration duties to assess whether uploaded material is AI-generated and label it accordingly. MeitY defines SSMIs as platforms with over 50 lakh registered users in India. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, X, YouTube, Snapchat all fall under that definition.

MeitY states that these amendments are intended to “promote user awareness, enhance traceability, and ensure accountability while maintaining an enabling environment for innovation in AI-driven technologies.” The ministry has invited public feedback on the draft until Nov. 6.

If implemented, the changes will mark a significant shift in how major social media platforms manage AI-driven content in India, increasing compliance, monitoring and transparency obligations for SSMIs with potentially wide-ranging implications for content moderation and digital rights.