The Centre has significantly strengthened its regulatory framework to combat AI-generated deepfakes, slashing content removal timelines and imposing stricter compliance obligations on social media intermediaries, Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada informed the Lok Sabha on 6 August. The amendments to the IT Rules, 2021 represent the government's most comprehensive legislative response yet to the growing threat of synthetically generated information (SGI).

Key Rule Changes

Under the revised framework, intermediaries must now remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving intimation — a sharp reduction from the earlier window of 36 hours. For sensitive categories such as nudity or impersonation, grievance redressal deadlines have been compressed from 24 hours to just two hours.

Platforms are also required to ensure clear labelling and traceable metadata for all permissible AI-generated content, enabling users to distinguish synthetic material from authentic content. The rules explicitly cover child sexual exploitation material, non-consensual intimate imagery, and impersonation — requiring platforms to proactively prevent such content and act promptly upon detection.

Platform Obligations and User Accountability

Intermediaries must deploy automated tools or other reasonable technical measures to prevent users from creating, generating, modifying, publishing, or disseminating any synthetically generated content that violates Indian law. Platforms are further required to conduct mandatory user awareness programmes on the legal consequences of unlawful AI-generated content.

All intermediaries must appoint Grievance Officers and resolve complaints within prescribed timelines. Users whose complaints are not addressed by platform Grievance Officers can escalate to a Central Appellate Forum, accessible online.

Government Detection Initiatives

Minister Prasada highlighted several state-backed deepfake detection projects. These include Saakshya, a multi-agent detection framework developed jointly by IIT Jodhpur and IIT Madras; AI Vishleshak, aimed at improving audio-visual forgery detection; and a Real-Time Voice Deepfake Detection System developed by IIT Kharagpur.

SAHYOG Portal and Centralised Enforcement

The government has operationalised the SAHYOG Portal, which enables automated, centralised removal notices to intermediaries from government agencies across India. The portal streamlines the process by which authorised agencies request the takedown of unlawful content — reducing the scope for delays or non-compliance by platforms.

This comes amid a global surge in AI-generated misinformation, with deepfakes increasingly weaponised for political manipulation, financial fraud, and non-consensual imagery. India's move mirrors regulatory tightening in the European Union under the AI Act and aligns with broader G20 discussions on AI governance. The next test will be whether platforms meet the new timelines consistently — and whether enforcement mechanisms have the teeth to hold them accountable.