Govt makes it mandatory to label AI-generated content to counter deepfakes

NEW DELHI: The Union government has notified amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, which make it mandatory to label AI-generated content.

Intermediaries offering tools that enable the creation or dissemination of “synthetic content” must ensure such material carries a clear and prominent label. Where technically feasible, platforms are also required to embed permanent metadata or provenance identifiers to trace the origin of such content, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said in a notification.

The amendments also introduce formal definitions for “audio, visual or audio-visual information” and “synthetically generated information”, covering content that is artificially created or altered using computer resources in a manner that appears realistic or indistinguishable from real persons or events. Routine editing, accessibility improvements, and good-faith formatting, however, have been excluded from this definition.

Central Government makes rules to further amend the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

The Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Amendment Rules, 2026 to come into force on 20th… pic.twitter.com/1revNm7lC9

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“Synthetically generated information means audio, visual or audio-visual information which is artificially or algorithmically created, generated, modified or altered using a computer resource, in a manner that such information appears to be real, authentic or true and depicts or portrays any individual or event in a manner that is, or is likely to be perceived as indistinguishable from a natural person or real-world event,” it said.

The amendments aim to address the growing risks posed by deepfakes and AI-driven misinformation, while balancing innovation with user safety and accountability. Non-compliance may attract penalties under the Information Technology Act, 2000, and other applicable criminal laws, it said.

The rules place enhanced due-diligence obligations on intermediaries, particularly prominent social media platforms. These include deploying automated tools to prevent the generation or circulation of unlawful synthetic content such as child sexual abuse material, misleading impersonations, or false electronic records.

“…includes any such synthetically generated information that “contains child sexual exploitative and abuse material, non-consensual intimate imagery content, or is obscene, pornographic, paedophilic, invasive of another person’s privacy, including bodily privacy, vulgar, indecent or sexually explicit,” the notification said.

Platforms must also require users to declare whether uploaded content is synthetically generated and verify such declarations, it said.

Timelines for compliance have been sharply reduced. Intermediaries must now act within three hours of receiving lawful takedown orders in certain cases, while grievance redressal and response timelines have also been shortened.

The new rules, issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology will come into force on February 20, 2026. (ANI)