Social media platforms such as X and those operated by Meta, will be required to comply with any clarification, advisory, order, direction, standard operating procedure, code of practice, or guideline issued by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) as part of their due diligence obligations, according to fresh amendments proposed by the government on Tuesday.
The draft amendments to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 were first published on March 30, 2026. The government has since extended the deadline for public consultation to April 29, 2026, and has introduced additional changes for stakeholder feedback. One of the key additions relates to the labeling of synthetically generated or AI-created content.
The proposed amendment to Rule 3(3)(a)(ii) mandates that intermediaries must ensure the “continuous and clearly visible display” of labels identifying such content throughout its entire duration in visual formats. This marks a shift from the earlier requirement, which only called for “prominent visibility.” The amendments also clarify that intermediaries must adhere to existing requirements related to the preservation and retention of information under applicable laws. In simple terms, platforms cannot bypass data retention obligations while responding to user requests or regulatory actions.
Another key change expands the scope of the rules to include news and current affairs content shared by users who are not classified as publishers. This means that even content uploaded by individual users on social media platforms could fall within the regulatory ambit, particularly in the context of oversight and grievance redressal mechanisms. The draft further modifies provisions related to the grievance redressal framework for digital media. Under the revised Rule 14, the Inter-Departmental Committee will meet periodically to hear matters arising from complaints related to violations of the Code of Ethics by publishers.
The committee can also take up cases where no decision has been made within the prescribed timelines or those referred directly by the ministry. In another amendment, Rule 8 has been revised to clarify that certain provisions—specifically Rules 14, 15, and 16—will apply not only to publishers but also to intermediaries and user-generated news and current affairs content hosted on their platforms. This effectively broadens the regulatory framework governing digital news dissemination.