New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has proposed changes to India’s Information Technology (IT) Rules aimed at significantly tightening obligation for social media platforms and other intermediaries in dealing with unlawful artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content.
In the most striking change, the draft amendment seeks to reduce the deadline of removal of unlawful content from 36 hours to just 3 hours after receiving a government or court order.
The draft rules also call for mandatory labelling of AI-generated content and quicker grievance redressal timelines to combat deepfakes, AI-driven misinformation and other harmful synthetic media.
According to MeitY, the main purpose of the changes is tackling the growing threat of AI-powered deepfakes, fake audio, videos and text.
This will enable in creating “an open, safe, trusted and accountable cyberspace for users’, the government believes.
Changes proposed under draft rules
Three-hour deadline for content removal — Under proposed rules, social media platforms will be required to remove unlawful AI-generated content within three hours of receiving a valid notice from the government or a court. This significantly reduces the existing deadline from 36 hours.
Mandatory labelling of AI-generated content — Platforms have to clearly label AI-generated images, videos, audio, and other synthetic content. Also, such content will need to carry traceable metadata, enabling users to easily identify AI-created material and reducing the risk of deception and misinformation.
Action against deepfakes and harmful AI content — The draft rules cover deepfakes, AI-enabled impersonation, child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAM), non-consensual intimate imagery, and other forms of harmful AI-generated content. Platforms will be required to promptly remove such content and deploy reasonable technical measures, including automated tools, to detect and prevent its creation or dissemination.
Faster grievance redressal — Also proposed is shortening the timeline for resolving general user complaints from 72 hours to 36 hours. Complaints involving sensitive issues, such as nudity or impersonation, would need to be addressed within two hours, compared with the current 24-hour deadline.
Stricter obligations for platforms — Social media platforms will be required to inform users about legal consequences of sharing unlawful AI-generated content. Major platforms would also have to deploy technical measures to proactively detect and curb the spread of specified categories of illegal content.
The draft amendments are now open for public consultation. Feedback from stakeholders will be reviewed before the government notifies the final rules. Hence, the proposals could change before coming into effect.
