- By Aditya Jha
- Tue, 10 Feb 2026 11:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
New IT Rules: In an attempt to control illegal and misleading content online, the centre on Tuesday directed the social media platforms to remove the content flagged by the authorities within three hours. The centre has significantly reduced the earlier deadline of 36 hours to control the illegal content, especially produced by using artificial intelligence. The centre announced that the new rules will come into effect from February 20, adding that the firms will also have to add a label to the AI-generated content.
New IT Rules: Key Provisions
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the notification under Section 87 of the Information Technology Act
- The new rules define AI-generated and synthetic content for the first time
- The centre stated that audio, visual, or audio-visual material that is created using AI falls under this category, irrespective of its appearance
- It clarified that routine editing and accessibility features are excluded
- Social media platforms must ensure that the AI content are clearly labelled
- The centre stated that AI-generated content must also carry permanent metadata (if technically possible)
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- The change has been suggested to ensure that the users identify these contents easily
- The firms will not be later allowed to remove these labels
- AI-generated content will be treated at par with usual content
- Social media platforms will be responsible if the AI-generated content is illegal
- These sites will also have to inform users of the consequences of violations
- The social media platforms will be required to take harsh actions, including account suspension, removal of content, and liability under law to control circulation of such content
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- The centre has directed the sites to deploy automated tools to prevent the spread of AI content that is illegal
While issuing the notification, the ministry stated that the changes are being introduced to curb the circulation of illegal and misleading content on the social media platforms.