India has introduced groundbreaking regulations requiring social media platforms to label and swiftly remove AI-altered content, including deepfakes, within three hours, significantly tightening online content oversight.
India has moved to tighten its grip on artificial intelligence-generated material online, ordering social media platforms to label synthetic content clearly and remove flagged deepfakes within 3 hours of receiving a valid notice, according to reporting by Business Today and The Times of India. The changes, which took effect on February 20, 2026, cut the earlier takedown window of 36 hours and are aimed at material that can mislead users or cause harm.
Under the new rules, platforms must mark images, videos, audio clips and other AI-altered content so users can tell it apart from authentic material. The government has also required traceable metadata to be attached to such posts, a move designed to make it easier to identify where synthetic content came from and how it was shared, The Times of India reported.
The tougher regime goes beyond labelling. According to the reports, platforms are also expected to act against deepfakes, impersonation, child sexual exploitation and abuse material, non-consensual intimate images and other illegal AI-generated content. The draft framework also says companies should use technical tools, including automated detection systems and image and video scanning, to prevent harmful content from spreading.
The clampdown has raised compliance concerns for major platforms. LiveMint reported that Meta questioned whether a 3-hour deadline is operationally realistic, with Rob Sherman, the company’s vice president of policy and deputy chief privacy officer, saying the timetable would be difficult to meet. The new rules also shorten response times for user complaints more broadly, including a 2-hour deadline for reports involving impersonation, fake accounts, nudity or sexually explicit content.
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