Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed amendments to the Information Technology Rules to make clear labelling of content generated through artificial intelligence mandatory. The changes also seek to enhance the accountability of major social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, in a bid to curb the spread of deepfakes and misleading information online.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said that deepfake audio and video content, as well as deceptive material circulating on social media, can cause serious harm to individuals and society. Such content, the Ministry warned, can damage reputations, influence elections, and even facilitate financial fraud.

The amendments proposed to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, seek to regulate synthetically generated content such as deepfakes. The draft rules, released on Thursday, introduce the concept of “synthetically generated information” and impose new labelling, identification, and due diligence requirements on intermediaries, particularly significant social media intermediaries (SSMIs).

According to the draft, “synthetically generated information” refers to content that is artificially or algorithmically created, modified or altered using a computer resource, in a manner that it appears to be authentic or true. The proposed amendments seek to ensure that deepfakes and other forms of AI-generated content are brought within the ambit of intermediary obligations under the IT Rules.

Under the draft framework, intermediaries that provide tools or resources to create or modify synthetic content will be required to label such information clearly or embed a unique metadata or identifier that reveals its synthetic nature. For visual content, the label should occupy at least 10% of the display surface, while in the case of audio, it should be declared during at least 10% of the duration. Intermediaries must also ensure that such labels or metadata cannot be removed or suppressed.

The amendments propose additional due diligence obligations for significant social media intermediaries, such as platforms like X, Meta, or YouTube. These platforms must obtain a declaration from users at the time of upload whether the content being published is synthetically generated. They are also required to use “reasonable and appropriate technical measures,” including automated tools, to verify such declarations. If a piece of content is found to be synthetic, platforms must prominently display a label or notice indicating that it has been algorithmically generated.

The draft rules further clarify that intermediaries will be considered in violation of their due diligence obligations if they knowingly permit, promote, or fail to act upon the publication of synthetically generated content that misleads or deceives users.

The draft, titled Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2025, is open for public consultation before final notification. Once approved, the amendments will require both content creation tools and social media intermediaries to update their systems and policies to ensure compliance with the new standards of transparency and authenticity.

The Ministry has invited feedback from stakeholders and the public on the draft amendments. Responses can be sent via email to [email protected] by November 6.

The draft notification can be found here