The Government of India has reinforced its digital safety framework by tightening compliance requirements for social media platforms and other intermediaries, mandating faster removal of unlawful content, stricter action against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and stronger safeguards against AI-generated harmful content. The measures are part of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as amended, and were outlined by Minister of State for Electronics and Information Technology Jitin Prasada in the Lok Sabha.
The move follows reports alleging the dissemination of advertisements linked to child sexual abuse material on social media platforms. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has sought a detailed report from the concerned intermediary, while the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has also issued notices to the platforms involved.
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Under the revised IT Rules, intermediaries are now required to remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving a court order or a reasoned intimation from the appropriate government or its agency, significantly reducing the earlier 36-hour compliance window. Platforms must also report offences under applicable laws, including the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, to the relevant authorities.
The government has also tightened timelines for grievance redressal. Content involving nudity, exposure of private parts, artificially morphed intimate images and similar sensitive categories must be removed or disabled within two hours of receiving a complaint. The broader grievance redressal timeline has been reduced from 72 hours to 36 hours, while the two-hour timeline continues to apply to sensitive matters.
Addressing the growing risks posed by artificial intelligence, the amended rules require intermediaries to clearly label AI-generated or synthetically generated content and attach traceable metadata wherever such content is permissible. Platforms must also inform users about the legal consequences of creating or sharing unlawful AI-generated material, including deepfakes, child sexual exploitation content, impersonation and non-consensual intimate imagery.
The amended framework further requires intermediaries to deploy reasonable technical measures, including automated tools, to prevent the creation, publication and dissemination of unlawful AI-generated content. Significant Social Media Intermediaries (SSMIs) are also expected to proactively identify content depicting rape, child sexual abuse or material identical to content previously removed from their platforms.
The government reiterated that intermediaries failing to comply with the due diligence obligations under the IT Rules would lose the safe harbour protection available under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000, making them liable for prosecution under applicable laws.
The Centre also highlighted a series of advisories issued to intermediaries since late 2025, including directions to strengthen content moderation systems, review internal compliance mechanisms and curb the spread of unlawful, obscene and AI-generated misleading content. It further pointed to the Standard Operating Procedure on Non-Consensual Intimate Imagery (NCII), issued in November 2025, which provides guidance for victims, intermediaries and law enforcement agencies to ensure swift action against intimate or morphed images shared without consent.
